On today’s edition of The Editors, Charlie once again takes on hosting duties. He poses a question to Phil and Michael, namely: “Do you think Niall Ferguson’s case that we are at risk of becoming the Soviet Union in our Cold War II with China is true?”
Michael thinks the claim is “true in part,” but that “the weakest part of the analogy is situating it within a Cold War framework.” He details a few points from Ferguson’s argument, but he doesn’t “think the analogy holds up as far as China’s end of the bargain. I don’t think China’s in . . . a strong position to push us over. You know, unless there’s some kind of major tragedy in the next few years, I think China’s time as our major rival is coming to a close in the next decade or two.”
Phil, despite his worries about our national debt, agrees: “I kind of feel like there’s a lot of truth in what Niall Ferguson is saying, but that basically the case is way overstated.”
“I do think it’s fair to say,” Phil continues, “America shouldn’t be so arrogant to think that because we defeated the Soviet Union, that China is going to suffer the same fate and we’re going to come out triumphant over China. It’s a different beast entirely. But I don’t think that we’re really sort of 1980s-era Soviet Union right now.”
The Editors podcast is recorded on Tuesdays and Fridays every week and is available wherever you listen to podcasts.