Besides Taiwan Straits and Ukraine, US biggest test comes from home
An article published by Foreign Policy on Tuesday, entitled “China and Russia Turn Deeper Ties into a Military Challenge for Biden,” quoted an former US politician as saying that the US faces “a two- front war where we don’t have a two- front military.” This seems to be an emerging possible scenario that is puzzling some American analysts.
On April 14, Reuters published ished a similar commentary headlined “US faces test on Taiwan, aiwan, Ukraine,” which articulated ulated the concern.
Yet et the test is caused by the US itself, thanks to its recklessness essness in handling major or global issues. It is Washington hington itself that has been stirring up troubles oubles worldwide, dwide, rather er than resolving ving crises. Now the tactic is backfiring ckfiring – Western ern media are becoming ecoming concerned erned that “rising ng tension over both Ukraine and Taiwan is putting ng the Biden administration inistration in a bind,” ,” or worse, lead to “a two- front war.”
The he Taiwan question tion is China’s domestic estic affair, where the US is not supposed to interfere at all. The Ukraine crisis involves the issue that should be decided by the Ukrainian people. But the US won’t cease creating tensions over it.
US political elites have shown little interest in self reflection. More importantly, they attach too much significance to major power geopolitical games. In their eyes, if the US makes concessions over the Ukraine issue, it could result in Russia returning to Europe. In that case, everything Washington has been struggling for over the past 30 years since the end of the Cold War will crumble to dust.
When it comes to Taiwan, the US regards the island, from the military perspective, as a crucial link in its first island chain to contain China. Diplomatically, the US is utilizing the island as leverage to boost secessionist forces in China, in an attempt to split the latter, or launch a “peaceful revolution.” Suppressing Russia and China has been a long tradition in US politics. Apart from former US president Donald Trump, who once attempted to cozy up to Russia, yet failed due to opposition from the Democratic Party, most US presidents tend to pile pressure on both countries. Yet the problem is that the US has found it increasingly difficult to do so.
The US’ biggest challenge is at home, not so- called threats from China or Russia. If the US hastily engages in, or creates more external geopolitical tests, while not having resolved its own domestic problems, it will only have its nose rubbed in the dust both at home and abroad, not to mention winning the “battle” on either side. The US has its own calculations. It is hoping to push the EU to the forefront of the Ukraine crisis, letting the EU invest in more resources while the US could just play a commanding role. In addition, although the US reiterated its support for Ukraine, the latter’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has been stressing that Ukraine “is looking for more than words,” Politico reported on April 13. It means the US’ capability is very limited. It is just like the way Washington is dealing with Beijing – trying to establish an anti- China camp with as m many allies as possible. If the U US believes it can handle the T Taiwan question and Ukra Ukraine crisis as it wishes, or in other words, China and Russ Russia, at the same time, it has o overestimated its strength and w wisdom.
Th The truth is, the US is not confr confronting two tests, but three three. The biggest crisis is from its home affairs. The biggest battlefield for US policymake makers is on US soil. The best solut solution for elites in Washingto ington is to put more energy in fo focusing on their country’s dom domestic puzzles and stop creat creating troubles abroad.