China’s rise shows prosperity without Western liberalism, growth from state–market fusion, and tech modernity without alignment—proof modernity is plural.
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
Huawei’s HarmonyOS, particularly HarmonyOS Next, is reshaping how overseas developers engage with its ecosystem—not through persuasion, but by making non-participation economically unviable in select regions. Rather than seeking Western approval, Huawei is focused on establishing a parallel ecosystem in which Chinese and regional apps become the default, especially across the Global South. Developers are compelled … Read more
In The Technological Republic: Hard Power, Soft Belief, and the Future of the West (2025), Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska argue that the United States, particularly Silicon Valley, has the potential to revive a mission-driven technological culture, but only by breaking free from the ideological constraints that have dominated since the 1980s. These … Read more
In The Technological Republic (2025), Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska explore Western, particularly U.S., anxiety over China, framing it as a strategic concern rather than a mere cultural or economic rivalry. The authors argue that this anxiety stems from a fear of losing technological, military, and geopolitical dominance at a time when the … Read more
The idea of a “Cold War 2.0” has effectively collapsed in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Scholars such as John Ikenberry and Christopher Layne have long argued that NATO’s eastward expansion reflected a broader Western strategy: to consolidate post–Cold War power, contain Russia, and integrate former Soviet satellites into the Western orbit. Whether intended … Read more
Taiwanese authorities strategically emphasize “democracy and freedom” not solely as a reflection of genuine ideological commitment, but as a deliberate tool—a “political survival algorithm”—to navigate structural constraints, reinforce legitimacy, and shape national identity in ways that history, ethnicity, or sovereignty alone cannot achieve. This strategy operates across multiple domains: securing domestic legitimacy, engineering collective identity, … Read more