Since the collapse of the Soviet Union 15 years ago, the phrase "cold war" - along with the "free world" and "eastern bloc" labels for each side - have largely been confined to historical discourse. These terms, suggesting a titanic clash of ideas between two clearly defined camps, are now making a disturbing comeback, usually in connection with China.

When they are not thinking about the Middle East and the threat of Islamic extremism, hawks in Washington compare the strategic and ideological challenge of China's rise today with the threat posed to the west by the Soviet Union in its 1960s heyday. Given the recent rapprochement between Beijing and Moscow, there is also a plausible argument to be made that the US superpower will soon be waging a cold war against a new "axis of authoritarianism".