Re: @Warm Braw - I would add an argument to that.
>>..In my opinion what keeps the Western democracies awake at night is the uncomfortable truth that China is a successful communist country...
That's because China is too big and makes too much 'stuff' we need, for the normal US strategy to work. Namely:
* $BadCountry adopts form of government US doesn't approve of
* US imposes sanctions on $BadCountry and/or blockades
* US bullies all its lickspittle allies into doing likewise
* $BadCountry's economy disintegrates and people starve
* US points at state of $BadCountry' economy and says [Nelson Muntz voice] "Ha! Ha! $BadCountry-ism doesn't work. Look at the state of their economy. They can't even feed their own people!"
Which leaves at least this reporter asking; "If the US is so confident that $BadCountry-ism doesn't work. why don't they just leave it to fall apart by itself, instead of forcing the issue, forcing their lickspittle allies to tag along and generally ramping up the antagonism against someone, somewhere in the world ALL the fucking time?"
What is it about the psyche of the USA, that you have always got to have an enemy?