There is a lowest common denominator to the threats America faces at home and abroad. Whether it is terrorist organizations or aggressive Chinese or Russian foreign policy, the bottom line is always the same: Intolerant adversaries are willing to use violence to impose their will on others.

If Ukraine had voted to rejoin Russia, or if the Taiwanese people were to elect to become part of China, Americans would have no grounds to object. But it is President Putin’s unwarranted use of force against Ukraine, and President Xi’s threat to use force against Taiwan, that are creating a growing risk of confrontation among the world’s leading nuclear powers.

Clearly, Americans’ concerns are not based on animosity toward the Chinese or Russian peoples. Both countries have magnificent achievements and incredible histories. There are also innumerable personal friendships and many economic connections linking the U.S., Russia and China. Indeed, prior to Presidents Xi and Putin, tourism and trade between these countries and the U.S. were growing.

That has all changed now, solely as the result of two aggressive dictators who brook no dissent at home and seek to expand their empires abroad.

For Putin, it started with Georgia, then later Crimea and finally Ukraine. President Xi’s policies, meanwhile, have involved oppression of the Tibetan and Uyghur peoples and more recently the residents of Hong Kong. Now Xi is threatening Taiwan and China’s neighbors in the South China Sea. The fact that the Taiwanese people enjoy greater freedom and a higher standard of living than their peers in the People’s Republic of China should generate introspection and reform in China, not threats of violence against Taiwan. 

Instead, Xi tries to pretend America and its allies are seeking to restrain China’s growth and prosperity. But as a capitalist nation, we prosper from trading with China as it grows. It is only Xi’s hostile, aggressive policies that are raising tensions.

Similarly, Vladimir Putin seeks to deflect any personal responsibility for Western sanctions by claiming aggressive intentions on the part of NATO member states — countries that until his invasion of the Ukraine had been neglecting military preparations and spending for decades.

We cannot afford to allow either dictator to succeed in using these false arguments to avoid personal responsibility their current tensions with the U.S. and its allies.  

Both leaders are becoming increasingly aggressive and megalomaniacal. Xi especially seems to view himself as an oracle, almost a demi-god, whose thoughts and utterances all members of the Communist party must constantly study. He is inserting his personal views into virtually every aspect of life inside China, from the boardroom to the classroom. This is happening in tandem with a truly Orwellian scheme already well underway, to employ modern surveillance technologies to monitor each Chinese citizen’s movement, behavior, and communications. 

North Korea is already a surreal, tragic dystopia. However, due to its lack of influence, we can largely ignore it. But how long can we peacefully coexist with a China that is becoming a vastly more powerful, nationalistic cult-state following one man’s dictates? It is a daunting prospect, and we ought to be taking every reasonable step we can to prevent Xi from turning China into a massive, aggressive, cult-state like North Korea.  

Among the many things we need to do to confront these dangerous dictators is align our rhetoric with our concerns. We need to help the Chinese and Russian people understand that we want to return to friendly and prosperous relations. They also need to recognize that rising tensions with the U.S. are purely the result of the aggressive and intolerant policies of their current leaders. 

Much as Ronald Reagan helped to accelerate the end the cold war by calling the Soviet Union an “evil empire,” we should begin referring to Russia as “The Putin State” and China as the “Xi State.” After all, these men have total control and call the shots without limit or accountability.

Both men resent having the spotlight placed on them personally, and for good reason. If adopted, this new approach would change the terms of debate in our favor by making both men, and the unfettered power they have amassed a constant focus of domestic and international attention. This would put both leaders on the defensive, while challenging the legitimacy of their rule.

This change in emphasis would help to reframe and clarify the sources of tension between our great nations in a powerful way, eroding the narrative of Western antipathy towards the populations of both of these great nations. Both men will hate it; many of their citizens will be duly embarrassed and resentful, but that will be all for the better in the vital war for public opinion.

Xi and Putin, after all, are solely responsible for the dangerously aggressive policies that are generating rising tensions and the risk of war. Those tensions could disappear overnight if more reasonable leaders emerged and less aggressive policies were adopted.

U.S. policy is critically dependent on maintaining strong alliances and the support of other nations. Being clear about what we object to and what we seek is therefore critically important.

Such a change in rhetoric, to call out Xi and Putin by name, would promote debate at home and abroad about Xi and Putin’s intolerant and oppressive policies and make their conduct and growing usurpation of power an important and continuing topic of discussion. After all, what could be less equitable than placing total power in the hands of a single individual?

The proposed change in vernacular requires no taxpayer expenditures, yet it could have more long-term impact than adding another aircraft carrier to the fleet. We need to be clear about our concerns and do everything we can to focus attention on the unjust policies of two egomaniacal dictators placing the world at increased risk of destruction. That requires putting the onus for rising tensions on the shoulders of Xi and Putin, where it belongs.

Christopher Mellon is former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.