Washington Is Still Chasing Two Rabbits

In this American Thinker article, Travis Lynch argues that Washington keeps claiming China is America’s top strategic priority while still acting like the global policeman of the post-Cold War era.

• Lynch frames current U.S. foreign policy around the old proverb that chasing two rabbits means catching neither.
• The article says both parties now talk openly about China as the central strategic challenge of the 21st century.
• Despite that rhetoric, Washington still responds to regional crises as though America must manage the entire global order.
• Lynch argues that the post-Cold War system allowed China to grow stronger while America paid many of the security costs.
• The author presents America First as a reaction to voter fatigue over endless wars, rising debt, weakened industry, and commitments that often benefit others more than Americans.
• The recent confrontation with Iran is used as an example of how quickly Middle East crises can pull attention and resources away from China.
• Lynch says the traditional foreign policy establishment still treats restraint, prioritization, and burden-sharing as signs of weakness.
• The core tension, according to the article, is that competition with China requires focus and discipline while global primacy demands constant readiness for new interventions.
• The article concludes that America must choose between a serious China-focused strategy and an unsustainable attempt to preserve global dominance everywhere.

Read the full story: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2026/06/washington_is_still_chasing_two_rabbits.html