My latest at the Belmont Club. You don’t walk but stumble into conflict.
Belmont Club: Flashpoints
It’s a tough time for those awaiting the End of History, “a state in which human life continues indefinitely into the future without any further major changes in society, system of governance, or economics.” The safe harbor we sought has eluded us; we seem to be reliving the bad old days, when good and evil fought for the dominion of the world. One bad sign, as Mike Studeman in War on the Rocks observes, is that China is embarked in absolute terms on perhaps the greatest military buildup the world has ever seen. “Despite … China’s recent economic setbacks and faux conciliations … Xi is militarizing Chinese society and steeling his country for a potential high-intensity war.” His theory is the buildup is happening for a reason.