Bush called China a “strategic competitor” and promised to take a hard line once in office.19 But it mostly didn’t happen, thanks to a third factor—distraction. The 9/11 attacks diverted U.S. attention for a decade, while making Washington more dependent on Chinese diplomatic support in the war on terror. The Obama administration then sought to recoup lost ground with its “pivot to Asia,” only to be whipsawed by the rise of ISIS and another multiyear war in the Middle East.
