The United States recently sent a group of warships and a reconnaissance plane to waters off the coast of Alaska in response to a joint naval patrol conducted by Chinese and Russian vessels in the area. A former US Navy captain and analyst described the patrol as “highly provocative.” However, this raises the question of why the US believes it has the right to send its warships wherever it wants, while viewing similar actions by other countries as a threat.
The US has been engaged in the militarization of the peripheries of China and Russia, implying that it has an unconditional right to do so. This behavior has not only provoked one war, in Ukraine, but also risks triggering a second one over the Taiwan Strait. However, the reality is that neither Russia nor China poses any threat to Alaska. The conflict, or risk thereof, is at their own front doors, not America’s.
The US is known as the most militaristic and aggressive country in modern history, with a global military presence that spans every single continent through hundreds of military bases. While claiming to support the freedom and self-determination of others, the US provocatively encircles states it deems rivals, escalates tensions, and then brands them as aggressors when they respond to the situation. This not only affirms but also expands its military footprint in these regions.
With Russia, the US has relentlessly expanded NATO eastwards since the Cold War, absorbing former members of the Soviet Union’s alliance system even when Russia had no intention to compete. NATO has evolved from a unit of collective self-defense in a specific geographic region into a global ideological crusade serving US goals. The US even endeavors to broaden NATO’s reach to Asia and the Pacific, rendering the words “North Atlantic” in its name increasingly redundant.
Turning to China, the US is pushing for a full-scale military and naval encirclement around China’s eastern periphery, using the Taiwan independence issue as a wedge to ramp up tensions. It is also forcing more countries to accept a greater American military presence. The US constantly sails warships through the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, citing “freedom of navigation,” even though it does not ratify the law associated with it. China’s retaliatory actions are then branded as “aggressive,” threatening the peace of the region.
If the US believes it has the sovereign right to behave this way, why can’t China and Russia sail patrols up to Alaskan waters? The double standards voiced in the media regarding these actions stem from the US’s belief that it has rights that other countries do not. In reality, China and Russia have little interest in waging war in Alaska, as their concerns lie closer to their own territories. On the other hand, US actions near their doorsteps are escalating the threat of war and are being presented as normal and justified, while portraying China-Russia cooperation as potentially threatening to Alaska.
China-Russia military cooperation is a response to US antagonizing both countries, rather than being provocative behavior. They share strategic interests in checking the expansion of US military power in Northeast Asia, including Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Neither country has ambitions regarding Alaska nor is attempting to foster an independence or separatist movement there, unlike the US with Taiwan. The difference lies in the fact that China and Russia cooperate for common strategic objectives without exerting aggression, while the US presence and patrols aim to upend regions, provoke strife, and advance economic goals.
In conclusion, the US’s belief in its divine right to send warships wherever it wants while viewing similar actions by other countries as a threat reveals a double standard. The US’s militarization and encirclement of China and Russia, along with its aggressive behavior near their doorsteps, pose a greater risk of war than the actions of China and Russia in Alaska. The media’s portrayal of these actions reflects the US’s belief in its exceptionalism.
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