coercion

This idealized view is also far more sympathetic than modern perceptions of other medieval events, including the Crusades, which are now linked with coercion and brutality.

Beijing is systematically fostering an environment where “gray zone” activities such as economic coercion or political interference become the norm, lowering the threshold for direct conflict.

“These actions are designed not only to intimidate neighbors but also to test allied resolve, normalize Chinese coercion, and fragment collective response,” the commission said in the report.

“These actions are designed not only to intimidate neighbors but also to test allied resolve, normalize Chinese coercion, and fragment collective response,” the commission said in the report.

Advocates for survivors called the distinction harmful, noting that Epstein’s decades-long pattern of coercion and trafficking involved minors who were legally incapable of consent, regardless of age.