A Dangerous Miscalculation: Underestimating American Resolve
by Lawrence Kadish
July 21, 2026 at 4:00 am
Truth Social
Published reports suggest that China is inundating its citizens with stories that America is on the decline, inferring that the rest of this century is China's for the taking.
It would be wise for China to read up on global history: those who have mistaken America's raucous domestic debates for weakness often find themselves shocked and defeated.
Time and again, adversaries have looked at the United States — loud, divided, seemingly distracted — and concluded that it lacked the stamina or strength for a prolonged fight. Time and again, they have been proven wrong — very wrong.
Imperial Japan during WW II offers one example. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who knew America well, reportedly feared that the attack on Pearl Harbor would "awaken a sleeping giant." His warning went unheeded by Tokyo, whose leaders believed a decadent, isolationist democracy would sue for peace after a knockout blow. Instead, the attack unified a fractured nation overnight. Within four years, American industry would be completing more than 70 new warships every week and Japanese cities would be unrecognizable.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22719/underestimating-american-resolve
