Poll results reflecting which foreign powers are viewed as the biggest enemies of the U.S. are always interesting. Today the Gallup polling organization looks at that question, and finds, unsurprisingly, Americans believe China to be our biggest current threat. Forty-five percent believe our greatest threat is China, 26% believe the answer is Russia, and the rest are in single digits.
As might be expected in a polarized nation, respondents’ political orientations affect this judgment.
There are noticeable partisan differences in perceptions of the greatest enemy of the U.S, with Republicans naming China as the top country and Democrats citing Russia. While 76% of Republicans name China as the greatest enemy, 43% of independents and 22% of Democrats do so. Conversely, close to half of Democrats name Russia (47%) compared with one in four independents (24%) and just 6% of Republicans.
Actually, of course, both China and Russia plus others like North Korea and Iran see the U.S. as their biggest enemy, and act accordingly. Nevertheless, Americans should ask themselves which poses the greatest threat to our interests and national security. In my judgment, China has much greater ability to cause us grief, and a somewhat greater likelihood as well. Hat tip to RealClearWorld for the link.
