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- The Cold War is technically over, but the media loves digging it up again when it’s useful. You see, the Russians were the bad guys in the Cold War. You can tell because we believe it. Established doctrine is the best doctrine. And so we continue with it even now that there’s no Cold War. So first we have to establish that China and Russia aren’t acting as “allies,” but rather as an “axis.” You may be familiar with the terminology. The New York Times accuses them of “tak[ing] action at America’s expense,” although there’s no evidence that Americans ought to feel that protection of a whistleblower is some sort of attack on them, but plenty of evidence that the government behavior that Snowden brought to light is. For good measure, the article continues by accusing the PRC and Russia of “policies toward Syria [which] have paralyzed the United Nations Security Council for two years, preventing joint international action,” the unstated assumption being that we agree that the US, UK and France are backing “good guys” on THEIR side of the brutal Syrian civil war. “Chinese hacking of American companies and Russia’s cyberattacks against its neighbors have also caused concern in Washington,” although the US military also admits to “defending computer networks and, if so ordered by the president, carrying out offensive attacks.” “They also don’t like watching the West take action against leaders friendly to them, like President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.” Because the US would totally just love it if Russia or the PRC were to back an armed rebellion against the oppressive Saudi dictatorship.