, Columnist
The Upside of a New Cold War With China
Competition with the Soviet Union brought out the best in American democracy.
Kennedy and Khrushchev agreed to disagree.
Photographer: Ron Case/Hulton ArchiveThis article is for subscribers only.
The American founders believed that prolonged rivalry and conflict abroad would eventually degrade the country’s democracy at home. Today, many of the strongest warnings against a “new Cold War” with China have a similar ring.
The New York Times, the Economist and pundits such as Fareed Zakaria have all warned of a “new Red Scare.” The implication is that geopolitical dangers could again cause a narrowing of political expression, a feverish search for internal enemies and a corrosion of the liberties U.S. foreign policy is supposed to defend.