The US should revamp its own democracy, stop preaching to others

IT WOULD have been funny, if it was not tragic: For several days, following the decision by Beijing to pass a controversial national security law for Hong Kong, Washington's political and media elites launched a barrage of criticism aimed at the Chinese.

First there were the continuing accusations fanned by the White House that China was responsible for the spread of Covid-19 and then came the never-ending blah, blah about a Cold War 2.0 with Beijing. And now President Donald Trump, backed by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, was bashing China for its alleged political repression of the residents of Hong Kong, followed by the all-too familiar threats to impose new economic sanctions on China and its leaders.

Serving as a backdrop for this new campaign against China were images of police and protesters clashing in Hong Kong, splashed on the front pages of the major American newspapers. They were supposed to demonstrate what was becoming the conventional wisdom: That the democratic West led by the United States, the greatest democratic country in the world, is now facing an epic global ideological struggle with China's repressive regime. We are the Good Guys. They are Bad.