Thread by @ElbridgeColby

This article is quite extraordinary. It's like trapped in amber from 15 years ago. wsj.com/articles/dont-… @elyratner A couple of point/counterpoints: 1/

"We'd be wiser to adhere to Physician heal thyself than to scapegoat China." Who's scapegoating China? The oped itself says: "China certainly bears enormous responsibility forpandemic". If that's true -as it is- aren't @SecPompeo @HawleyMO et al right to hold PRC accountable? 2/

#NSS & #NDS "overstate China’s ambitions and capabilities alike. China’s strategic preoccupation, as its 2019 defense white paper makes clear, is maintaining its territorial integrity & internal stability." Is this really using PRC white paper as authoritative source on goals? 3/

"China can best be understood as a regional power that seeks to reduce U.S. influence in its backyard and to increase its influence with its neighbors." Wait. Isn't China now largest economy in world in PPP? Why is its power so limited? 4/

Such a strong state seeking to increase power by necessity is like Jupiter in the Solar System. @haass compares to Mercury or some minor planet. 5/

"And when China does reach farther afield, its instruments tend to be primarily economic." Sure. But what about the global PLA that is emerging? media.defense.gov/2019/May/02/20… And what about China's global political coercion? voanews.com/covid-19-pande… 6/

This seems like a low bar that's a caricature of the USSR! "Unlike the Soviet Union, China isn’t looking to impose its model on others around the globe or to control international politics in every corner of the world." 7/

China is looking to dominate Asia and then achieve global preeminence. media.defense.gov/2019/Jul/01/20… 8/

"China faces serious limitations in trying to extend its reach and influence. The era of double-digit Chinese economic growth is over." Sure - but what is growth rate of the advanced economies? It's comparative. 9/

"Of course, China poses both an actual and a potential threat—but it’s one that can be addressed without making China the focal point of American foreign policy." Why, given that China is 1st time US is not largest economy in global system since 19th century? 10/

This is the siren song toward failure right here: "the U.S. should push back against China where necessary to defend US interests. As much as possible, however, this competition should be bounded so that it doesn’t preclude cooperation with China in areas of mutual interest." 11/

No hard choices! Cake and eat it too!

America should stick with #NDS #NSS direction in which we're now moving.

foreignaffairs.com/articles/2019-… 12, END/