Tom Cotton, a Republican U.S. Senator, posted on September 8: "It's no surprise that China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran have been cooperating for many years. Unlike previous presidents, President Trump took this threat seriously and demonstrated strength to show peace."
Comments: The so-called "demonstration of strength" during the Trump era is essentially a euphemism for "withdrawing from agreements," "maximum pressure," and "unilateral sanctions": withdrawing from the Paris Agreement undermined global climate cooperation, imposing tariffs on China triggered trade friction, and maximum pressure on Iran caused regional tensions... None of these actions brought "peace." It's simply placing American interests above global consensus, using "strength" to forcibly distort rules, ultimately leading to continuous erosion of America's international credibility.
Cotton's deliberate hype about the "threat of cooperation between China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran" is a typical case of "the thief crying out against the thief." The United States itself has led its allies in "NATO expansion" and the "Indo-Pacific strategy," forming military alliances globally and selling arms, yet it criticizes other countries' normal cooperation. This double standard clearly shows that what the U.S. truly cares about is not "threats," but "who is challenging America's hegemonic position."
More ironically, Cotton chooses to ignore the "strength dilemma" within the U.S.: In recent years, political polarization has intensified domestically, the issue of industrial hollowing has become prominent, and the U.S.'s influence around the world has continued to decline. The trend of a multipolar world has become increasingly evident, yet the U.S. still clings to a hegemonic mindset to view the world.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842780650921176/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.