The editorial pages are awful.

“America is absent. A bloody war erupts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and both sides look to Russia for a solution.”

Could it because Russia’s power and interest in the South Caucasus is greater than the U.S. interest? Na, let’s just tie it to Trump’s COVID diagnosis.

“Iranian militias destabilize Iraq, and the State Department prepares to close our embassy there for self-protection.”

NOT PART OF COVID! Has nothing to do with COVID. The Iranians have been doing this for years.

“China draws “red lines” to assert dominance over Taiwan, and U.S. military experts privately concede that Chinese power in the area outmatches that of the United States.”

Um, not all of them. And pretty sure China has had a “red-line” on Taiwan for decades.

“The global spread of the coronavirus pandemic compounds the United States’ isolation. The world was looking for generous, confident leadership when the virus hit; instead, a self-obsessed America went into retreat.”

Beltway flim-flam, hot-air disguised as analysis.

“In such hard times, stable leadership can reinforce the shared norms and expectations of global order.”

Sorry, I fell asleep.

“The global power vacuum invites mischief.”

Ignatius then goes on to seemingly tie the Azerbaijan-Armenia dispute and Turkey’s intervention in Libya, Syria, and Azerbaijan to American weakness, isolation, blah blah. Provides no evidence.

...”Xi is pushing the envelope because he thinks the United States is distracted and the moment is ripe.

Again, just supposition. China’s flyovers over Taiwan have more to do with the broader U.S.-China rivalry—and the fact that senior U.S. officials are going to the island.

Here’s a link in case you want to read how the world is on fire because America is sitting back (and all that jazz...): https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-rest-of-the-world-is-taking-advantage-of-a-distracted-america/2020/10/06/fe6879d8-0801-11eb-a166-dc429b380d10_story.html