February 07, 2023
China’s Balloon Could Be America’s Awakening
If Beijing meant for its spy balloon to float across the United States undetected, then it could not have failed more spectacularly. The airship, which may have never been intended to fly so low or even take the course it did, looked less like a distant satellite and more like the Goodyear Blimp. And so while no one could have predicted it, China’s balloon may well spur America’s awakening.
Beijing’s blunder may well represent—forgive the expression—a great-power trial balloon. And it may even spur a broad American awakening.
The episode could hardly have been better designed to prompt U.S. concerns. Start by understanding that, surrounded by two oceans and friendly neighbors, Americans are exquisitely sensitive to physical violations of their sovereignty. National security threats tend to emerge “over there”—in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans, and the Western Pacific. Although they might feel secondary effects—rising gas prices, a higher grocery bill, or a family member in the military—these kinds of threats are intangible for most Americans most of the time. Beijing may fly spy satellites over the United States, conduct regular cyberattacks, cover up the origins of a global pandemic, and infiltrate American infrastructure, but the effects (though real) are largely unseen.
Read the full article from Foreign Policy.
More from CNAS
-
AUKUS weighs expanding security pact with Japan to deter China
Australia and the United States have deepened their commitment to countering China's growing aggression in the Indo Pacific by bringing Japan into the fold. The allies announc...
By Richard Fontaine
-
Lisa Curtis on U.S. and Japan's Security Alliance
Lisa Curtis talked about Japanese Prime Minister’s trip to the U.S. and the security alliance between the two countries amid threats from China. Watch the full video and more ...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Japan will probably be a member of AUKUS Pillar 2 'before too long,' Richard Fontaine says
Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for New American Security, discusses Japan's relation to AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom...
By Richard Fontaine
-
Countering China’s Influence in Myanmar
The United States must act now to capitalize on the momentum of the EAOs, taking immediate action to help shore up their efforts against the Junta....
By Nathaniel Schochet