Director Laura Rosenberger explains the need to fortify U.S. democracy to offer an alternative to authoritarianism being spread by Russia and the People’s Republic of China in The Dallas Morning News.
As anti-racism protests erupted across the country this summer, Russia and China sought to exploit the unrest. Images of police violence against protesters and press provided fodder for officials and state-backed media outlets to condemn U.S. hypocrisy on human rights.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson tweeted “I can’t breathe” in response to a U.S. State Department spokesperson’s tweet condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s encroachment on human rights in Hong Kong. Russia’s RT America pointed out the Trump administration’s characterization of protesters in Minnesota as “thugs” vs. “heroes” in Hong Kong. These messages sought to turn the table on the criticism U.S. officials typically lob at them, in an attempt to make our systems seem equivalent.
