Current Affairs

The Ruling Class Wants a New Cold War With China

Sep 11, 2025
The podcast critiques the manipulation of fear towards China to unify the country politically. It explores historical parallels of political anger, suggesting a new Cold War rhetoric could distract from domestic issues. Key discussions question the validity of the 'China threat' narrative, highlighting its vagueness and the absence of solid evidence. Furthermore, it warns against the dangers of hostility, advocating for peaceful coexistence while addressing pressing societal inequalities. This insightful dialogue shines a light on the complexities of modern political narratives.
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INSIGHT

Manufactured Unity Through Fear

  • Rahm Emanuel's Wall Street Journal op-ed urges Americans to unite by fearing China instead of each other.
  • Nathan J. Robinson highlights the op-ed's lack of concrete evidence about any real Chinese threat.
INSIGHT

Vague Threat Framed As National Purpose

  • Emanuel frames China as an external foil to restore U.S. political cohesion and compares it to WWII and the Cold War.
  • Robinson points out Emanuel never explains a specific threat beyond loss of U.S. global dominance.
INSIGHT

Dominance Assumed, Threat Undefined

  • Emanuel asserts China could replace the U.S. atop the global hierarchy without specifying actionable harms.
  • Robinson criticizes this as premised on an assumed U.S. right to permanent dominance.
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