MUNICH, Germany – Is sound, forward-looking foreign policy still possible? Talking to the statesmen, diplomats, intelligence operatives and scholars gathered at the last week, I had my doubts.
Consider U.S.-China relations. It was only just over a month ago that China’s vice premier, Liu He, gave a conciliatory that some observers saw as part of a aimed at the West. After that, many hoped that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s to China last month would reduce tensions further, building on Liu’s own recent with Secretary of the Treasury , as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden’s in Bali in November.
It is precisely because they are leaning into a souped-up competition that both sides seemed eager to put a ceiling on their rivalry, recognizing that more frequent contact is needed to guard against misunderstandings or accidental escalations. But then came the great , which ended any notions of detente. As the large dirigible drifted across the United States, the Biden administration tried to hold its nerve; but public opinion soon exerted itself on national-security decision-making.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.