The world doesn’t see an “indispensable nation” in America, only one that is ‘dysfunctional at home and pursuing naked self-interest abroad’

Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China, and his State Department colleague Jose Fernandez think the United States has created a successful playbook to help other countries resist China’s economic coercion. So say two representatives of a nation which has imposed two-thirds of the world’s total number of sanctions with 60% of low-income countries being so targeted. Even the International Criminal Court has been on its hit list.

Recommended readings: “America is losing Southeast Asia: Why US allies in the region are turning toward China.” That’s the title of an essay in the current edition of Foreign Affairs.

“When many Southeast Asians look at the United States now, they see a country that is dysfunctional at home and pushing a nakedly self-interested agenda abroad,” it said.

“Chinese investments are generally welcomed in Southeast Asia … The United States should avoid........

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