What British historian Eric Hobsbawm once called the “short 20th century” was thought to have ended in 1989 with the Cold War victory of the United States and its allies. Yet today, the U.S. is faced with an increasingly powerful and assertive axis of China, Russia, Iran, and their proxies, united by a shared aim of upending American and free world values and replacing them with what Xi Jinping calls a “new world order.” This axis’s efforts, be they economic, political, or military, and whether they are directed against the U.S. or further afield, all aim toward this end.
Indeed, at the heart of today’s geopolitical challenges is a contest over ideologies — the norms and values that, for Americans, have defined us as a people. And, for the wider free world, at stake are the global governance ideals that have, however imperfectly, upheld the sovereignty of states and the dignity of individuals.
Recognizing this is critical. There is much talk about the need to rebuild and revitalize the U.S. defense industrial base. In naval shipbuilding, China outpaces the U.S. by a factor of 200 . We do not have the shipyards necessary to build and maintain fleets, with much of the current fleet in dire need of repair, while another 19 vessels are set to be decommissioned next year. Such is the legacy of decades of deindustrialization and downsizing.
Iran, on the other hand, now has enough weapons-grade uranium to produce nine bombs within a month. It could very well declare itself a nuclear state before the year is out.
China, too, is expanding its nuclear arsenal at a rate unmatched by any other nation. It appears to be on track to amass 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, up from 200 in 2019. Though this remains well below America’s stockpile of more than 3,000 warheads, Beijing’s buildup is outpacing U.S. efforts to modernize its aging arsenal and remain competitive.
Then there’s the problem of military recruitment. Last year, the U.S. armed forces missed their target by 41,000 recruits.
The need to boost our defenses and restore deterrence is great. Yet equally pressing is the need for clarity about what, precisely, we are defending.
For decades, this “what” — the core norms and values that define us as a nation — has been under assault from China, Russia, Iran, and their unwitting allies. Indeed, to subvert an adversary, one must ultimately destroy its culture and values, leaving it rudderless. Where outright destruction is not possible, the aim is then to confuse the meaning of the culture in the public mind so much that the society ultimately unravels from within — or aligns with its aggressor.
This is why China places such emphasis on information warfare—its military manuals posit cognitive warfare as its “fundamental function.” It is also why the Chinese Communist Party invests in initiatives such as TikTok and Temu, tools of espionage and sabotage, and why, between 2013 and 2023, $17 million in CCP funds infiltrated 143 school districts across 34 U.S. states, financing Confucius Classrooms, where elementary school students are taught Chinese language alongside Party-approved lessons in history and culture.
It is also why spies such as Linda Sun, once deputy chief of staff to New York’s Gov. Hochul, are planted — not just to gather intelligence but to advance CCP-friendly narratives on issues such as diversity, equity, and inclusion , for instance, that, under the guise of progressivism, undermine foundational values of faith, family, and opportunity.
Iran, too, has intensified its disinformation campaign against the U.S. Iranian agents, many tied to its Revolutionary Guard Corps, which have infiltrated and continue to fuel anti-Israel protests on our college campuses. Their efforts seem to have effectively misled many Americans into believing that Hamas, a terrorist group responsible for the deaths of thousands and the detention of hostages, is a victim deserving of sympathy and support. And the U.S., in its support of Israel, the de facto victim, is painted as a ruthless aggressor, with American identity cast as a source of shame.
We are told we are a racist nation with an unsavory past that discredits any progress made since. That our democracy is a sham.
Our allies, especially in the Global South, are told much the same. Beijing has claimed that “American democracy is full of holes,” asserting that “serious harm has been caused by imposing American democracy on others.” In places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and regions of Africa and Latin America, where U.S. policies have not always succeeded, many might agree.
The result is that we find ourselves increasingly uncertain about our national identity at home and facing growing disrespect and isolation abroad. No number of navy ships, nuclear warheads, weaponry, or soldiers can remedy this; these are tools in service of a greater purpose. At present, we are at risk of losing sight of that purpose — of forgetting who we are as Americans and the unique culture and values that have long made our nation great.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM RESTORING AMERICA
As we strive to boost our military capabilities, then, we must also work to safeguard and preserve the essence of our nation — the “what” at the core of our efforts. This involves taking cognitive warfare seriously, both by deterring it at home and advancing U.S. messaging abroad. It means removing adversarial curricula from our schools and teaching American history and civics to our children. It means restoring faith and family.
The regimes of China, Iran, and Russia are unequivocal about their national identities and their desired political ends, both as a bloc and individually. The danger, then, is a resolute and well-armed axis of authoritarians confronting a flailing America. The stakes are too high, and the time for action was yesterday.
Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu is CEO of the geopolitical risk and strategic communications firm, Magpie Advisory, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a visiting fellow at Independent Women’s Forum (iwf.org).
Local News
Comments / 0