Much of the United States (especially Washington, DC) is in the grip of a contagious lethal anti-China fever which is spreading fast.
Even people I usually admire and respect have become infected. Reason and facts have lost all capacity to inoculate.
Fortunately, I was sent a vaccine (that takes one minute to administer) which I would like to share with you:
Three points in response to China (& Russia) hawks:
(1) A mirror is a very good thing to have in these situations (probably the most valuable & cost-effective piece of equipment the Pentagon could purchase right now). When wondering about China’s naval posture in the South China Sea or Russia’s response to eastward NATO expansion, use the mirror to reflect on the Monroe doctrine & how we would react if a Chinese flagged 7th fleet were cruising the Caribbean.
(2) Ukraine & Taiwan are both special unresolved historical situations. They should each be treated as such, carved out as best possible, and not allowed to poison the entire relationship. The mortal danger is the US war lobby exploits those situations to provoke Russia and China, hoping the resulting optic will favor their ugly ambitions.
(3) In his later years, George Kennan, architect of the containment doctrine, believed the best way to deal with the Russians is to leave them to themselves (i.e. they will sabotage themselves on their own). That continues to be good advice & also has relevance for China.