"Beware Chinese Trojan horses in the Balkans," Topic

"The EU has sounded the alarm about China's role in the Western Balkans, warning that Beijing could turn countries in the region into Trojan horses that would one day be European Union members.

European Commissioner Johannes Hahn told POLITICO's EU Confidential podcast that China's "combination of capitalism and a political dictatorship" could appeal to some leaders in the region on the Continent's southeastern flank.

Although much Western concern about the Balkans in recent years has focused on the role of Russia, Hahn said there is more reason to be uneasy about China, which has made a series of significant investments in infrastructure projects there…."
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Amicalement
Armand

The liberal democratic model has lost much of its appeal and "inevitability" since Francis Fukuyama's 'The End of History and the Last Man' was debunked. Stop trying to make it a requirement and everyone would get along better.

Countries that want to be liberal democracies need strong militaries and good alliances with other strong liberal democracies, because dictatorships are always trying to turn everyone else into vassal states.

So when a dictatorship starts trying to convert democratic or democratically-leaning neighbors into dictatorships, that's an existential threat.