Why China Believes America Will Flame Out

theatlantic.com

16 points·paulpauper··6 comments

Wang Huning, then a little-known academic, was moved by his travels through the U.S. to write the book America Against America, in which he described a nation beset by social fragmentation, inequality, and political dysfunction. Shocked by the country’s problems of homelessness, drug addiction, racial violence, social divisions, and low education standards, Wang concluded that America contained the seeds of its own destruction.

I would love to see poll numbers how many red and blue would prefer to be ruled by the Chinese than to the opposing domestic tribe. I suspect it may be one thing that unites them...

I don't know about "the one thing." I think its a class of things.

Generally you'd get the same response to any form of domination, whether China or whoever. In Canada, we felt this during Elbows Up last year, and Iran is feeling it now.

Funny, how people unite against people who threaten their autonomy

What if you point out the relationships that already exist:

Trump pays taxes in China, but not America.

Rent in Trump tower for Chinese state operations is in the millions.

But some will feel certain Joe Biden is worse.

Except, of course, that Joe Biden wasn't an option. He dropped out of the race.

Of course it was way easier to run against the guy who was retiring rather than the one who was actually running.

> This is why China believes that the surest path to international power is not through a direct confrontation but through patience.

They've had plenty of time to demonstrate the "patience" approach.

Instead of that, they're certainly playing the direct confrontation card in the "South China" sea.

ie everyone else's territory that happens to be wet in the rough direction of China

That's not a "patience" approach.

https://archive.is/We6GM

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