Bellicose U.S. narratives about Russia and China only serve to further inflame tensions.
By Jeffrey Sachs, jeffsachs.org
The world is on the edge of nuclear catastrophe in no small part because of the failure of Western political leaders to be forthright about the causes of the escalating global conflicts. The relentless Western narrative that the West is noble while Russia and China are evil is simple-minded and extraordinarily dangerous. It is an attempt to manipulate public opinion, not to deal with very real and pressing diplomacy.

The essential narrative of the West is built into US national security strategy. The core US idea is that China and Russia are implacable foes that are “attempting to erode American security and prosperity.” These countries are, according to the US, “determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”
The irony is that since 1980 the US has been in at least 15 overseas wars of choice (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Panama, Serbia, Syria, and Yemen just to name a few), while China has been in none, and Russia only in one (Syria) beyond the former Soviet Union. The US has military bases in 85 countries, China in 3, and Russia in 1 (Syria) beyond the former Soviet Union.
Recent Posts
Trump Deploys Nuclear Subs Amid War Of Words With Russia’s Medvedev
August 3, 2025
Take Action Now The US president and the former Russian president have exchanged verbal threats about possible nuclear strikes amid the wars in Iran…
Should We Invade Israel in the Name of Humanitarianism?
August 2, 2025
Take Action Now For decades, liberal humanitarianism argued that the international community should take military action against states engaged in…
Student Loan Payments To ICE Agents: Unpacking Trump’s “Big, Disastrous Bill”
August 1, 2025
Take Action Now Two activists arrested in the fight against Trump’s landmark legislation discuss the bill’s consequences, from student debt to…
Kamala Harris Should Not Run For President In 2028
August 1, 2025
Take Action Now A Harris 2028 campaign would remind Democratic voters of her undue loyalty to Biden, whose brand is now badly tarnished in his own…