Have we commenced a new Cold War with China?
While the question feels abstract, it has implications for foreign policy and has, as a result, triggered a ferocious debate. The prevailing view is that the analogy is inexact, obscuring more than it reveals.
I’m not so sure. While there are important differences, the key features of the current global setup seem to mirror that epoch in international relations. Oddly, the biggest difference between the two moments — the one that convinces me that this isn’t a new Cold War — may actually, ironically, mean that the current moment is more dangerous.
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