The Economist recently ran the above illustration on the cover, launching a look at the ways in which China does (and does not) have us all on the hook.
According to the article, in China there is a new mindset which is catching on around the globe. The meme is that “geopolitics is now a bipolar affair, with America and China the only two that matter.” In other words, the recent G20 meeting would be more accurately christened the G2.
The article goes on to explain how this is not entirely true, that the EU is still the world’s biggest economy (although I still think it’s cheating to lump all ’em wee li’l countries together like that) and that India is also rising nicely as well. However, for a Cold War Kid like me, this is paradigm-popping stuff. Glad I married in when I did. Whew!
