Could U.S. Adversaries Exploit America’s Moment Of Confusion?

President Trump’s battle with the coronavirus could take him out of action for several weeks, raising concerns that U.S. adversaries such as Iran or China may become emboldened by the perception of an American leadership vacuum.

At virtually any given time there are countries testing U.S. resolve. In Iraq, convoys carrying U.S. supplies come under almost daily attack by Iranian-backed militias. For North Korea, saber rattling and missile tests are common. Meanwhile, China ignores Washington’s demands to cease the mass detention and torture of minority Uighur Muslims in the northwest of the country.

The fear is that while the administration is preoccupied with the president’s health, a pandemic, a rough-and-tumble presidential campaign and a flattened economy that adversaries may seize the moment to further their own agendas.