In my work as a lawyer and legislator (I served as a member of Congress from 1995 to 2003), a key question I always ask myself or a client seeking to achieve a desired outcome is, “Who really benefits if we do things this way?” Framing the strategy in this way goes a long way toward identifying potential allies and adversaries and increasing the chances of ultimate success.
When I pay attention to current events in Washington, the same question comes to mind: Who really benefits from the “Russia obsession” that virtually every national political figure and media outlet has displayed? There is almost no issue that is discussed today without blaming Russia or at least finding a Russian plot lurking just around the corner. Take the recent Ohio primary, for example; as close to the heart of America and as far from Moscow’s Red Square as you can get.
Average American viewers would have taken last week’s results in Ohio, where Republican Troy Balderson narrowly defeated his primary opponent, as a hint that Democrats may not have been as well-prepared for November as their “blue waves” would suggest, but some pundits on the left were quick to put on their tinfoil hats and point the finger at Putin. Hollywood actress Alyssa Milanofor example, she announced that votes for the Green Party in this contest were evidence of “Russian interference.”
This is just one of many examples where the default bogeyman is Russia; and it’s straightforward to dismiss such absurdity, especially from people who demand to be taken seriously because of their “celebrity” status. But the obsession with Russia and the accompanying search for “collusion” have real implications for American public policy, and they are no laughing matter.
Whether or not the political class truly views Russia as an existential threat to American freedom, the topic continues to dominate headlines and news programs. Interception analyzed Rachel Maddow’s highly watched show on MSNBC last year and found that over a six-week period, Russia-related news made up more than half of its airtime.
Despite all the fuss about Russia, there is little challenging evidence of such a threat. Washington Postof all places, it seems to be one of the few classic media outlets that can see beyond the fog; noting that the hysteria around Russia is completely at odds with reality. To put things into perspective, Fasting reminds readers that the Russian economy is ten times smaller than ours, and its GDP is smaller than Canada’s. The liberal news outlet also notes that Russia’s domestic problems have significantly weakened its economy, even as ours continues to grow; further limiting the country’s global influence.
Our obsession with Russia has become a actual way to distract us from the other adversaries we face; most notably China.
In contrast to Russia’s tender economy, China is the second largest after ours, and the US remains one of the country’s debtors. China has funds at its disposal to spend on its military, which it clearly does. Chinese military spending rose to $145 billion last year, while Russia’s fell 17% to $61 billion.
It is true that China is a very different country today than it was two generations ago, when it was in the grip of the mass murderer Mao Zedong and his immediate followers; but it remains a totalitarian state, hungry for superpower status. China shares this nationalist convoluted with Russia; and the regime in Beijing has shown itself to be as ruthless in pursuing this goal as its counterpart in the Kremlin, if not more so. Both China and Russia have the ability to hack into the cyber systems of other nations, including our own, and both have shown an interest in doing just that.
But it’s China, far more than Russia, that’s worrying the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the perennially underfunded federal agency tasked with overseeing foreign investment in sensitive technology in the United States. That’s because far more Chinese than Russian citizens are actively seeking access to American technology companies.
It is true that President Trump is pushing China to trade fairly, but questions about China’s pursuit of military and technological dominance, much of it at our expense, are among the issues that attract far less attention in Washington than concerns about what Russian President Putin might have for breakfast.
The extent to which the Trump administration, and virtually all of Congress and much of the American media, are obsessing over Russia is clearly distracting us from the one player on the world stage who benefits most from the spotlight remaining on Russia. These are blinkers that will be very costly to us in the long run.
