Know Thy Enemy

MacdonaldLaurier.ca Executive Summary Despite decades of efforts by western nations to bring China and Russia into the world as legitimate partners, both countries have sought to take advan- tage of the West’s good will and the openness of the international system. [...] In this report, Know Thy Enemy: Understanding the threat posed by Rus- sia and China in the post-COVID era, three distinguished researchers take a close look at the threat Russia and China pose to the democratic states in the world. [...] As he puts it “Russia’s funda- mental or overriding objective is to make the world safe for its autocracy.” He then goes on to describe the nature of Putin’s regime, the tools and strategies it uses internationally to sustain Putin’s rule, and the role nuclear weapons and doctrine play in Russia’s “permanent war” against the West. [...] Cole ends his chapter with a series of recommendations on how to face this multifaceted threat from China and a plea to the West that “we must regain our footing and self-esteem by ignoring Chinese propaganda about the “inevitability” of the West’s decline and through a reinvestment in our human capital and belief in the wisdom of our democratic ideals.” Lastly, Balkan Devlen looks at the commonal [...] As Devlen concludes, “[i]t would be a bleak future where the progress of human rights and democracy in the last three decades is rolled back.” Devlen ends his chapter with a series of recommendations that include the necessity of a clear-eyed understanding of the authoritarian challenge, better study of political warfare and subversion, and the importance of developing societal resilience.