CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

The Washington Post’s David Ignatius Underestimates Xi Jinping

Photograph Source: United States Ambassador to China – Public Domain

“China isn’t as strong as it appeared in Beijing, and America isn’t as weak.” (Washington Post, David Ignatius, “The Trump-Xi narrative isn’t true.  America keeps falling uphill,” May 21, 2026.)

“China isn’t as strong as it appeared in Beijing, and America isn’t as weak.” (Washington Post, David Ignatius, “The Trump-Xi narrative isn’t true.  America keeps falling uphill,” May 21, 2026.)

The Washington Post’s leading national security columnist, David Ignatius, has been an ever-present apologist for the “power of the military and the secrecy of the intelligence community.”  At a crucial time that requires fresh thinking about the loss of U.S. influence and credibility in the international arena, Ignatius and the mainstream media continue to identify the U.S. as the #1 military and economic power in the world.  The mainstream media have not been sufficiently aggressive in questioning and investigating the Trump administration’s abuse of our governing institutions, particularly in the realm of national security.  Journalists, particularly Ignatius, have become beholden to official sources and insufficiently protective of contrarians and critics.

Xi Jinping has just completed his most successful week or so in conducting China’s foreign policy, ensuring that Beijing has strengthened its  standing in bilateral relations with both the United States and Russia.  It’s no exaggeration to say that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin traveled to Beijing “hat in........

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