Hawks Love to Whine About the Consequences of Their Own Policies

It is ridiculous to go out of your way to court great power rivalry and then moan about the predictable consequences.

The Wall Street Journal wants you to be very frightened that other states have naval ships that sail in international waters:

In the new era of great power competition, Russia, China and Iran are building an axis to challenge U.S. power. The naval patrol is best understood as a warning that U.S. territory isn’t safe, as well as a test of how the U.S. will respond.

The world is getting more dangerous, and a complacent U.S. political class isn’t educating the public about the growing threats.

There is something absurd about hawkish complaints when other states do the exact same things that our government does. When our ships go on patrol on someone else’s doorstep, hardliners tell us that it is for the sake of deterrence and stability, but if another government dares to do the same they treat it as an alarming menace. Perhaps if the U.S. doesn’t want other states sending naval patrols so close to our shores, it should consider how its own actions are perceived in other capitals. It is ridiculous to go out of your way to court great power rivalry and then moan about the predictable consequences.