China’s rise shows prosperity without Western liberalism, growth from state–market fusion, and tech modernity without alignment—proof modernity is plural.
Drawing on Yi Wen’s The Making of an Economic Superpower and Ha-Joon Chang’s Kicking Away the Ladder and Bad Samaritans, this essay argues that large-scale U.S. reshoring of low-end and much mid-end manufacturing is neither historically plausible nor structurally efficient. Both authors, through independent but convergent historical analyses, show that industrialization follows a largely one-way … Read more
Rare earth elements are neither truly scarce in nature nor an inherent, singular point of existential weakness for the United States. Their strategic importance instead arises from their role as a high-leverage chokepoint within modern industrial supply chains. The most complex, capital-intensive, and environmentally demanding stages—midstream refining and downstream magnet production—are overwhelmingly concentrated in China. … Read more
SWIFT Explained: Its Function and Real Significance in Global Finance SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, plays a central role in the modern global financial system by enabling secure and standardized communication between banks and financial institutions. Its core function is to transmit payment instructions and other financial messages across borders with speed … Read more
I. The De Facto “G2” Economic Loop A. Mutual Benefit Through Asymmetric Global Roles For decades, the United States and China have functioned as a de facto “G2,” quietly orchestrating a global economic system that primarily serves their own interests. Their roles are complementary and asymmetric: the United States issues the world’s reserve currency, consumes … Read more
This study undertakes a critical examination of the logic behind the so-called “China global price revolution,” exploring how and why it has functioned, where it shows structural weaknesses, and under what conditions it might fail. By situating this analysis within a broader historical and economic context, the discussion considers how China’s impact on global prices … Read more
I. Reframing the “Great Divergence”: Not Race or Values, but Cost-Efficient Violence and Industrial Power 1. The Foundations of the Great Divergence: Power, Production, and Coercion The historical “Great Divergence” between the Global North and the Global South was not enabled by racial superiority, cultural refinement, or the intrinsic legitimacy of Western values. Rather, it … Read more
The United States’ growing unease over China’s lunar exploration stems from a clear realization: China is no longer merely experimenting in space—it is executing a disciplined, long-term plan with precision and seriousness. The completion of the Chang’e-6 mission revealed more than scientific data or engineering skill; it exposed deeper signals about China’s strategic focus and … Read more
The rise and decline of semiconductor industries are seldom the product of isolated technological breakthroughs or individual genius. Rather, they are shaped by market structure, sustained cash flow, and the passage of time—conditions that allow capability, cost efficiency, and scale to compound. China’s rapid ascent in electric vehicles demonstrates this logic clearly: success emerged not … Read more
One of the United States’ most consequential strategic mistakes of the past century may have been its failure to confront Iran at the height of its power. While many argue that the greater error was abandoning the containment of China after 2001 and becoming entangled in the Middle East, this perspective may be incomplete. A … Read more
One of the most consequential strategic mistakes the United States made in the last century was its failure to pursue large-scale, long-distance water diversion projects during its period of peak national strength from the 1950s to the 1970s. By missing this critical window, the nation forfeited the opportunity to address water scarcity in its central … Read more