America’s Unwarranted Pessimism

There’s no need for doomsaying. Unlike China and other autocratic states, the U.S. has the means to overcome its problems.

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People ride on a scooter past a giant screen showing Chinese President Xi Jinping attending the closing session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, March 11, 2022.

Tingshu Wang/Reuters

Trolling is no way to conduct a foreign policy, but President Joe Biden might consider channeling just a little bit of the prankish spirit of his predecessor by offering to send Beijing 1 billion doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as a goodwill gesture.

If Beijing accepts, then Washington enjoys a major diplomatic triumph and the opportunity to do something good at a minor expense for people who desperately need it. If Beijing refuses out of pride and spleen — which is a near certainty — then Washington enjoys a minor diplomatic triumph at no expense at all and Beijing deepens the trouble it is facing vis-à-vis the restive urban elites of Shanghai and Beijing.

Kevin D. Williamson

About the Author

Kevin D. Williamson

Kevin D. Williamson is a former fellow at National Review Institute and a former roving correspondent for National Review.

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