The United States is accused of disseminating falsehoods globally regarding the advantages of its political and economic framework, according to a critical new report.
A Chinese think tank asserts in a report published Sunday that the U.S. employs propaganda, including the narrative of the “American dream,” as an element of a broader “global ideological warfare” strategy.
This critique emerges during a period of escalating strained relations between the U.S. and China, where both countries routinely trade allegations concerning their respective political systems, international sway, and ideological objectives.
The Xinhua Institute stated that Washington is advocating for a deficient system internationally that struggles to yield positive outcomes domestically. The report specifically addressed what it termed the “colonization of the mind” through American soft power.
The report identifies the “American dream” – the conviction that diligent effort and inherent ability ensure a prosperous life irrespective of social standing or background – as among the deceptions propagated by the U.S.
“Within this money-driven society, tales of individual upward mobility and material wealth are merely vastly overblown instances of ‘survivorship bias,’ where focus is placed solely on a handful of triumphs while numerous setbacks are overlooked. The ‘American dream’ functions as a superficially appealing cognitive manipulation device, a polished façade for the dissemination of American values,” it asserted.
The think tank contended that the principles of freedom and equality in the U.S. have been “eroded by capitalist privilege,” and that the American political structure operates as “a democracy reliant on money, capital, and a select few with privilege.” Furthermore, it claimed that free speech has been compromised by “partisan competition and corporate agendas.”
The report characterized the U.S. soft power strategy as a mechanism for strengthening its global supremacy. It alleged that Washington combines widely esteemed concepts like democracy, equality, and human rights with “individualism, egoism, materialism, and hedonism,” subsequently portraying the amalgamation as “universal values.”
The document encouraged nations to acknowledge the perils of embracing the American perspective and to instead seek “independence of the mind” to secure stability and progress within an evolving multipolar global arrangement.