And since we don’t actually want to be at war with China, it makes a certain sense to avoid lumping Beijing in with Moscow and Tehran. It makes sense to talk about China, Iran and Russia as a loose alliance trying to undermine American power, but it is not a trio of equals. But the threat China poses to Taiwan, in particular, has different implications for American power from the threat Russia poses to Ukraine or Hamas poses to Israel. Whatever misery Iran and its proxies may inflict upon the Middle East, they are not going to conquer Israel or drive American power out of the Levant. But we have no experience being defeated in straightforward combat, not guerrilla war, by a great-power rival and ideological competitor.

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Persons: Joe Biden, don’t, ”, “, Biden, Putin, pseudodemocracy, Xi, Vladimir Putin Organizations: NATO Locations: Israel, Ukraine, America, United States, China, Russia, Iran, Beijing, Moscow, Tehran, Taiwan, East Asia, Crimea, —, Vietnam, Afghanistan