By Jerome A. Cohen
In less than half a century, has the wheel come full circle? Nixon used the China issue to reassure his reelection in 1972. Trump is using the China issue in an effort to reassure his reelection in 2020. Unfortunately, contrary to the protests of innocence from the Chinese Government, it has played right into the hands of the Trump “warhawks” now riding high, offering them much to feed upon. What we need today is governments on both sides that will step back from the brink and seek a new modus vivendi, one that will endure for the next, even more complicated half century. Balance – not all-out nationalistic enmity – is what is called for.
Each side should practice what I call the Four C’s: Cooperation in areas critical to world progress and survival; Competition in business, science, education, the arts and sports; Criticism of each other’s many faults and failures in government, human rights and international relations; and Containment of its own military forces and goals as well as those of the other side. The next six months may be the most challenging to get through. One can only hope that next January will witness the charting of a new path. It will be a long road back.