China Has Problems In New Bipolar World—But U.S. Has Worse

This essay, although well written as usual, peers at China through the badly smudged spectacles of Western “exceptionalism”.

The United States is rapidly degenerating into a failed state with over 40 million freshly unemployed and more coming, with zero income, medical care or social safety net. Even prior to COVID-19, the U.S. industrial capability had already been wiped out thanks to decades of Wall Street capitalism. The U.S. is incapable of manufacturing a pair of shoelaces much less a refrigerator. And it will be decades before the U.S. could regain that capability, even if Wall Street were to permit (which it won’t).

Militarily, the U.S. is an absolutely no position to challenge China. China and Russia have become a single unified block militarily, economically, technologically and even politically. Second, the U.S. military is second rate. Vietnam, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria… all U.S. military surrenders. Most recently the U.S. military surrendered to the Taliban in Afghanistan. What makes it think it could challenge a China/Russian military equipped with hyper-sonic missiles and sophisticated electronic warfare capability? Syria proved Russian military superiority.

The U.S. is a rapidly aging, depopulating, deindustrializing and failing empire. Without China, none of us would even have the keyboard or computer equipment necessary to write or respond to this useless essay.

Mathew

What an excellent summary, Mr. Derbyshire! I first thought I had nothing to add to, or argue about, this post, but I did notice that you had not much detail about the financial states of our 2 countries. We would probably lose in a comparison there too, especially after this Kung Flu Panic-Fest is fully taken advantage of. However, the Chinese government has big financial problems of its own.

Oh, OK, I’ll nitpick one thing: High-speed trains work for China (not saying they make a profit, AFAIK, though) because Chinese people live in big cities so these trains can go from big city to big city. Their big cities are EVERYWHERE, not just along 2 coastlines. In America, our inner cities are filled with people that we don’t want anywhere near us on any trains, and most people live out in suburbs or even exurbs. If you have to drive 15-30 minutes, then park, to get to the train, you may as well head to the airport. (Mr. Sailer, BTW, brought up the first part of this reasoning almost 2 years ago.)

See Peak Stupidity‘s comparison post Trains in the Orient vs. America. (It mentions Japan and Europe as well, and has some rough time calculations to show my point.)

Anyway, thank you for this great summary of these bipolar relations. I know you’re going to hear some noisy feedback from the Commie Commentary Contingent. I ask the readers to take these people for what they really are – the same anti-society rabble-rousers that have been seen throughout recent history, taking advantage whenever times are bad – see Commies crawling out of the woodwork… it’s about that time . They also display here the other meaning of the term “bipolar”.

Another Exceptional! column from Uncle Sam’s most loyal fan. This purported dissident cites a NYT article back in March to defend his embarrassing Chinadiditry.

What’s the nature/nurture ratio for immigrant fealty?

In the old bipolar world there was a balance of power. The US and Soviets prevented nuclear Armageddon because ultimately they were able to avoid their core interests colliding. Of course the USSR collapsed, but Russia remained. In the new bipolar world, Washington and Beijing are on course for war, with the Russian Federation aligned with China. The new bipolar landscape will end in nuclear destruction because, unlike the first one, governments do not see it coming.
https://www.ghostsofhistory.wordpress.com/