Interesting. Well i believe the biggest battle is for moral hegemony...meaning whether American *values* triumph. And I believe with Trump, the momentum is on our side. The stirrings of freedom are being felt in places like Iran, with their recent protest/uprisings for example
And the pro-sovereignty and anti-EU sentiments in Europe seem to be pushing countries like France and Austria in a more free market driven direction...Countries want to rediscover themselves and their capacities- not just sell out to China I would hope.
I don’t think communism will make a Cold War level comeback. Islam is not taking over, and Chinese/Russian models of govt and repressive cultures are not what people with blank pages aspire to and dream for. At the end of the day, people the world over respect and look up to America most.
And the more China/Russia try to undermine that reality, the more they undermine their own opportunities to attain genuine respect and appreciation from the world.
He’s talking power politics, while you are talking moral authority and hearts and minds. I hope it turns out the way he and you are projecting, although your reasoning is different.
But, to me it is possible that barbarity will triumph over civilization, at least for a while. Look at what the Muslims did in India, or the brutal expansion of Muslim Tamarlane. Or, look at what the Mongols did, although their conquests receded back more quickly. And, there’s always the fall of Rome and Constantinople to consider, too.