An Ailing America Must Adapt to a New World

News Snapshot:

The flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to mark National Day in Beijing, Oct. 1. Photo: Andrea Verdelli/Bloomberg News Kate Bachelder Odell would lead you to believe that the only thing that has changed since Mikhail Gorbachev met Ronald Reagan in 1985 is the Heritage Foundation’s position on America’s role in the world (“What Time Is It at the Heritage Foundation?” op-ed, Oct 5). But Gorbachev no longer leads a Soviet Empire; Vladimir Putin leads a severely weakened Russian petrostate. More to the point, Xi Jinping’s China—not Russia—is now America’s No. 1 adversary on the world stage.