As the political West struggles to maintain cohesion in what often resembles a dysfunctional marriage — one seemingly heading toward an inevitable divorce — events unfolding on the other side of the world are fostering optimism and belief in alternatives.
Thank you for this comprehensive and well-structured piece. It lays bare a deepening civilizational divergence. Not only in strategy, but in worldview. And I think you’re right to frame this moment as a broader shift in how power is imagined, distributed, and justified, an not merely in an economic context.
From where I stand, we’re witnessing the collapse of the unipolar logic that has long conflated leadership with domination, and economic strength with extraction. The U.S. model, especially under Trump, seems to retreat into a kind of wounded nationalism, clinging to a shrinking moral high ground while punishing others for its own contradictions.
In contrast, China is playing a long game. Whatever criticisms one might level at its internal structure, it is presenting the world - especially the Global South - with a different vocabulary: cooperation over coercion, infrastructure over interference, invitation over ultimatum. Whether that model proves durable or not, it speaks more clearly to the aspirations of a multipolar world hungry for respect, dignity, and mutual benefit.
And here lies a deeper point: geopolitics today is not just about borders or trade. It’s about narratives. It’s about whose story the world is being invited to believe in. And I think many are waking up to the idea that the old Western story of liberalism, of democracy, of free markets as saviors has not delivered on its promises. What replaces it may not be perfect, but it might at least reflect a more balanced distribution of cultural imagination.
That said, we also have to be cautious. Systems of power, whether Western or Eastern, often converge around control, even if the language differs. So the key, I believe, is not choosing sides, but staying attuned to the underlying dynamics: who benefits, who is excluded, and what kinds of futures are being made possible?
This moment is not just a turning point in trade relations. It’s a moment of reckoning for what kind of world we want to co-create. Thank you for bringing clarity to that crossroads.
Thanks for the comment! I’ll have a look. But many colleagues wonder if there is a system in Trump’s chaos - and their response is negative. He is a gambler surrounded by illiterate people and loyalists who don’t dare tell him he is doing harm to his people (including oligarchs).
There’s an increasing divide between the people and those in power in the west; the people can see what’s happening but it’s taking the latter a long time to understand the benefits of signing up financially, politically and ideologically with this new world order. Perhaps a revolution…?
Maybe first a revolution of mind! But honestly I am getting pessimistic… I would have expected a powerful anti-militaristic movement in the last 1,5 years, at least. 🙄💔
An erudite, original, and incisive article that echoes many thoughts.
"This is more than just an economic standoff; it’s a civilizational, value-based, and strategic divide. The way this dynamic evolves will define the future of the global economic order."
And maybe more than that; will we finally live in a stable and orderly world that spreads the wealth and exists for all and not for just those who manipulated the global system to enrich themselves?
Is it going to be a 'bi-polar' world? At one end some rationality, sanity, normality and on the other schizophrenic, paranoid, aggressive, disorder.
Thank you for this comprehensive and well-structured piece. It lays bare a deepening civilizational divergence. Not only in strategy, but in worldview. And I think you’re right to frame this moment as a broader shift in how power is imagined, distributed, and justified, an not merely in an economic context.
From where I stand, we’re witnessing the collapse of the unipolar logic that has long conflated leadership with domination, and economic strength with extraction. The U.S. model, especially under Trump, seems to retreat into a kind of wounded nationalism, clinging to a shrinking moral high ground while punishing others for its own contradictions.
In contrast, China is playing a long game. Whatever criticisms one might level at its internal structure, it is presenting the world - especially the Global South - with a different vocabulary: cooperation over coercion, infrastructure over interference, invitation over ultimatum. Whether that model proves durable or not, it speaks more clearly to the aspirations of a multipolar world hungry for respect, dignity, and mutual benefit.
And here lies a deeper point: geopolitics today is not just about borders or trade. It’s about narratives. It’s about whose story the world is being invited to believe in. And I think many are waking up to the idea that the old Western story of liberalism, of democracy, of free markets as saviors has not delivered on its promises. What replaces it may not be perfect, but it might at least reflect a more balanced distribution of cultural imagination.
That said, we also have to be cautious. Systems of power, whether Western or Eastern, often converge around control, even if the language differs. So the key, I believe, is not choosing sides, but staying attuned to the underlying dynamics: who benefits, who is excluded, and what kinds of futures are being made possible?
This moment is not just a turning point in trade relations. It’s a moment of reckoning for what kind of world we want to co-create. Thank you for bringing clarity to that crossroads.
There may be more at play behind Trump’s chaos, what do you say about this analysis? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ts5wJ6OfzA
Thanks for the link.
Thanks for the comment! I’ll have a look. But many colleagues wonder if there is a system in Trump’s chaos - and their response is negative. He is a gambler surrounded by illiterate people and loyalists who don’t dare tell him he is doing harm to his people (including oligarchs).
There’s an increasing divide between the people and those in power in the west; the people can see what’s happening but it’s taking the latter a long time to understand the benefits of signing up financially, politically and ideologically with this new world order. Perhaps a revolution…?
Maybe first a revolution of mind! But honestly I am getting pessimistic… I would have expected a powerful anti-militaristic movement in the last 1,5 years, at least. 🙄💔
Excellent analysis of the options available to humanity.
An erudite, original, and incisive article that echoes many thoughts.
"This is more than just an economic standoff; it’s a civilizational, value-based, and strategic divide. The way this dynamic evolves will define the future of the global economic order."
And maybe more than that; will we finally live in a stable and orderly world that spreads the wealth and exists for all and not for just those who manipulated the global system to enrich themselves?
Elegant. Brilliant. 👍👍👍
Thanks, Thore! 🙏
Great analysis of thecurrent state of play between America and the rest!
Thank you, Kevin. Good to hear from you. Long time no see.