America’s Greatest Enemy

Since the mid-1700s, America has had a string of enemies that have run from England to Germany during the two world wars, to Japan in World War II, and to Russia during the post-war period until the end of the Cold War.

Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is not at the top of the U.S. enemy’s list, as measured by Gallup. China is at the head of this for 2023 and is in this spot for the third year running. The poll was taken earlier in 2023 and is on Gallup’s “Front Page” for the year as the polling company releases the “five key insights we captured.”

The numbers about China are unusually high. Half of Americans list China as the nation’s top enemy. The poll researchers wrote, “China’s position atop this year’s list is notable for extending the longest stretch of time such a large proportion of Americans have agreed on what country represents the United States’ greatest enemy.” The 50% mark was only topped by North Korea at 51% in 2018. The “enemies” poll was first posted in 2001.

Gallup does not go into a great deal of explanation about why China holds its position on the list so firmly, but the triggers are not hard to guess. China is the only nation in the world that challenges America’s economic, military and technological dominance.

China has challenged the United States as the world’s leading economy by GDP for several years. According to the Centre for Economics and Research Business, China will pass the U.S. GDP lead in 2028. The IMF puts China’s GDP at $17.7 trillion and America’s at $26.9 trillion.

Military power can be measured in several ways. One of the most notable differences between China and the United States is naval power. China has 730 military vessels. The U.S. has 484. Raw numbers do not tell the entire story. America has 11 massive aircraft carriers. China has one. Nevertheless, China’s presence in Asia gives it military leverage in the region and makes concerns about a Chinese invasion of Taiwan a genuine possibility. The United States has pledged to protect Taiwan. (These are the nations with the largest militaries.)

The tech friction between the United States and China appeared with great significance recently. The U.S. Department of Commerce has banned the export of powerful chips that support AI software to China. If artificial intelligence is the future of tech, the United States wants to do what it can to maintain a lead in the largest software advancement in decades.

Based on why China tops the list of enemies of the United States, it will stay there indefinitely.