August 07, 2019
America should apply Cold War lessons to China: Compete hard, hold fast to our values
As global stock markets gyrate in response to mounting economic tensions between Washington and Beijing, the specter of a U.S.-China Cold War looms large. The intensifying rivalry between Washington and Beijing has already provoked a wave of anxiety among former officials, academics and pundits. Former U.S Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson warns that America’s tougher approach risks creating a new "economic iron curtain." Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf says it could turn “a manageable, albeit vexed, relationship into all-embracing conflict, for no good reason.”
The alarmists have it wrong. As China has become more repressive at home and assertive abroad, the United States needs more Cold War thinking — not less. It is imperative that Washington learn the lessons from the Cold War, both positive and negative, in order to rise to the challenge that Beijing poses to American security, prosperity and values.
Read the full article in USA Today.
More from CNAS
-
To defeat autocracy, weaponize transparency
Commentary
Democracies have a significant advantage in weaponizing transparency at scale to highlight autocratic activities that break international norms or inflict damage on local econ...
By Ryan Fedasiuk & Garrett Berntsen
-
Defense One Radio, Ep. 106: Decoding China’s Taiwan saber-rattling + RIMPAC 2022
Podcast
Becca Wasser, fellow for the Defense Program and lead of the Gaming Lab at the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington, D.C, joins the the Defense One podc...
By Becca Wasser
-
China’s Role Within the War, with Jude Blanchette and Dave Shullman
Podcast
What role will China choose to play within the Russia-Ukrainian war? Beijing has notably refused to condemn Moscow for its military aggression, instead putting the blame on th...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, David Shullman & Jude Blanchette
-
The CCP Century: Jacob Stokes On The Upcoming 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress
Podcast
Jacob Stokes joins the pod to discuss the upcoming 20th CCP Congress, which has not garnered a lot of attention outside of China, but will serve as a crucial inflection point ...
By Jacob Stokes
