The drumbeat of war is growing louder in Washington, where the political class is transfixed by Beijing.
Politics does not reward nuance, and even less so in times of crisis. Faced with a serious threat to national security, there is an expectation for displays of strength and unwavering resolve from those in power. This demand is especially pronounced in the United States, where many have been conditioned to believe that their nation is the greatest in the world. However, this combination of patriotic fervor and a deep belief in American exceptionalism does not always lead to sound policy decisions.
The war in Iraq, which began two decades ago, was driven by exactly this mix of hubris and moral absolutism, which only exacerbated the catastrophic errors in judgment that followed. After the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, President George W. Bush launched the global war on terror, defining it as a “war against all those who seek to export terror, and those governments that support or shelter them.” It was clear from the outset that such a war would be unwinnable. Yet, this was not the view held by the Bush administration or the broader Washington foreign policy establishment. Critics who questioned the wisdom of waging a worldwide war against an abstract concept, or who pointed out the lack of evidence linking Saddam Hussein with al-Qaeda, were simply told they “didn’t get it.”
Fast forward to today, and a similar pattern is emerging in Washington, this time with China in the crosshairs. The rhetoric surrounding China has become increasingly charged, with officials portraying the nation as an existential threat to American values and interests. This growing animosity, fueled by the drumbeats of war, is creating a dangerous climate where every action taken by Beijing is seen through the lens of a larger ideological struggle, rather than one grounded in pragmatic diplomacy.
As the political class fixates on China, the question arises: will history repeat itself? Are we on the brink of another moral crusade, this time with China as the antagonist? The parallel to the pre-Iraq War environment is unsettling, as it seems that the political class in Washington is once again embracing moral absolutism, without fully considering the consequences of their actions. Just as the Iraq War ended in disaster, a similarly reckless approach to China could have far-reaching and unpredictable consequences.
