Great powers have always attempted to exhaust their rivals indirectly. America has done it. Russia has done it. China is doing it now. Recognizing that history does not excuse current misconduct, but it should protect us from self-righteousness and strategic blindness. Nations rarely act from moral purity alone. They act from interest, opportunity and fear.

Not in the abstract way we discuss conflicts on television panels or in policy briefings, but in a deeply human way. In the quiet moments. In the early hours of the morning. In the uneasy silence before sleep.