Renewed Great Power Competition: Implications for Defense—Issues for Congress

The nature of international ideological hostility has been changed since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989. The dispute between capitalism and communism ended up in the success and expansion of capitalism across the globe. The US sustained its hegemony for a couple of decades and in the 21st century new challengers have emerged in the international arena. The economic assault of China and resurgence of Russia after 2010 has restricted the American hegemonic designs. According to this report, countering China and Russia has become the new focus of the US Department of Defense (DOD) instead of counter-terrorism operations in the Middle East and Africa. After the World Trade Center attacks in September 2001, the US administration prioritized the elimination of non-traditional threats. But during the previous Obama administration, and now under the Trump administration, restricting the Chinese from expanding its economy is a main agenda. Beijing is not an immediate military threat to the US, neither in China’s surrounding areas nor in Middle East and Europe, but the soft power of China is perceived as a threat to US’ hegemonic designs. This report analyzes the emerging developments in Asia-Pacific and Eurasia regions where China and Russia are seen as alternatives to the US. The report briefs members of Congress regarding threat perception and evaluations by defense authorities, and also builds the capacity of respective members to support or oppose the initiatives taken by the Trump administration to counter these economic and political challenges.