After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the US could have shifted more of the burden of defense spending to allies like Japan and Germany, while revitalizing its manufacturing sector — the true base of military power in an industrialized world. Worst of all, the bipartisan policy elite in Washington turned a blind eye to communist, state-capitalist China, as it unfairly subsidized its own manufacturing sector in order to wipe out manufacturing in the US and other countries. But the focus on these short-term costs of adjustment ignores the long-term cost of allowing authoritarian, statist China to monopolize entire industries — like electronics, civilian drones and electric cars — and to dominate the world economy.
Author: Michael Lind
Published at: 2025-04-01 21:27:27
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