China: A Colossus with Crystal Slippers

ISBN-13: 9781542987479 / Angielski / Miękka / 2017 / 74 str.

Nestor Contreras Pineda

Opis

The disappearance of the Soviet Union left a void in the international political scene and the United States stood as the only global power. Although the disappearance of the country that generated most of the conflicts during the Cold War provoked the freedom of those nations that had been under communist rule for decades, the predominance of a hegemonic power and the poor decisions of mediocre leadership gave the fret with the global political balance and provoked a greater evil: planetary terrorism. Thus, the hegemony of a single country did not bring positive consequences for the concert of nations, and the world is now plunged into a war without limits or barracks. The emergence of a power that maintains a healthy balance in international relations is therefore a necessity. However, there is no candidate with the potential of becoming the counterweight of the United States. China's economic success created a false illusion; the fact is that it is very far from occupying a relevant place in the world political scene. This book is intended to explain the reasons behind this assertion. In Chapter I, The Insurgency of a Colossus, we present the only country that is in a position to compete with the United States and occupy a place of preponderance in the international political scene: the People's Republic of China. In Chapter II, Geopolitics of the East, we describe the intricate web of relationships that are present in the East of the planet. The future of world society is decided in that region of the world; there is settled, in vast territories mostly depopulated, the majority of humanity. Ethnic and cultural diversity is so marked that it is inevitable that conflicts will be manifested every moment. The economic potential of this secluded corner, for Westerners, is immeasurable; that is transformed into wealth and welfare depends on peace being maintained and the United States and China agreeing. In Chapter III, Marx Versus Smith, we try to summarize the path China has taken to transform its economy. The model is strange. A combination of marxism and capitalism. In the first decades it seemed that the idea was good, the unusual economic growth made the majority think that the Chinese had reached the perfect recipe: labor almost in conditions of slavery and Western technology. It worked for a while, today the contradictions are emerging with all their force and the model makes waters everywhere. In Chapter IV, A True Colossus, we present to the Hegemon: the United States of America. There is no chance that China will become a world power. Neither in the short, medium or long term. The real recipe is a combination of democracy and capitalism; without it, the Asian giant will remain where it is: playing a secondary role in the international political scene.