Vail American Empire?
1
Harvard professor Graham Allison coined the term and crusaded the idea only a few years ago, drawing insight from Thucydides diagnosis of the Peloponnesian War, and then applying that to the events leading to the First World War.
Having done so, he then presented these insight as a way, a lens through which to see the current dangers of the American Empire’s clash with the Peoples Republic of China (and its partners).
The thrust of which is that it only takes a match to be lit by a small third tier entity (e.g. Taiwan or North Korea or the American Zionist colony in Palestine) to bring the two contending behemoths into unstoppable conflict.
Seen through this lens geopolitics can be appreciated in quite a new and frightening way.
Allison gave a TED talk in 2018 which described this very well and quite succinctly. (See link below)
1
Geo-politically, this post Covid-19 period seems to be even more dangerous with the American Empire becoming far more belligerent with the advent of the current Biden Administration and the seeming turning of the worm in Russia, China, and Iran moving to a more hardball response.
1
All of that however in not what has been exercising the thoughts of this old pew sitter of late.
No, it is all the events in the Empire’s “Roman Centre” (Continental U.S.A.) that are starting to resemble some aspects of a Thucydides Trap.
The recent spectacle of the 2020 Presidential elections drew back the wraps from the deep divide in American culture like no other. And since last November, the internal cultural warfare seems to have grown even more virulent.
1
This seems as if it could be very dangerous.
1
The U.S. (A.) is an incredibly violent nation with a history of that way of being, dating back to its very beginning.
Part of that history has already seen two major internal wars.
First the revolutionary war of 1765 against the World hegemonic empire of the time (British) and the second, the American Civil War of 1861 to determine which form of economic system was to prevail.
Covid-19 has been the catalyst to tip the globalist world economic order over into a vast splitting of the haves and the have-nots, generated by that system.
It seems as if the East and West coast liberal intellectuals have become estranged from, and going into full bore battle against, the rest of the country.
In a country saturated with weapons of death this does not look pretty, particularly with the rapidly changing ethnic balances being brought about by massive flows of people coming in from Central and South America, as a result of claimed political intrigue to ensure the dominance of one political party.
1
A heady combo developing.
1
If this were anywhere near the mark, what might the off centre stage spark be that could set it off and continue the validity of Thucydides Trap insights?
The fallout of it for the rest of the world would make the Covid-19 pandemic itself look like child’s play.
1
I don’t know what the Galilean would do about this if he were here, which is a pretty demoralising admission. It wouldn’t be inter-religious or inter-ethnic hatred, and violence.
Maybe something like taking his fight into the ivory towers of that cultural wreckage with their massive forces of militarised assault on the BEING of every human being world wide.
The five eyes it is sometimes called: Hubris, Power Worship, Envy, Greed and Humbug.
The roots of all evil.
1
But alas.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said from prison – – “The forcing of God out of the World is the disqualification of religion”. And so as per the Galilean as told in Mark’s story:
It seems as always, back to the individual to effect some change.
1
Harvard professor Graham Allison coined the term and crusaded the idea only a few years ago, drawing insight from Thucydides diagnosis of the Peloponnesian War, and then applying that to the events leading to the First World War.
Having done so, he then presented these insight as a way, a lens through which to see the current dangers of the American Empire’s clash with the Peoples Republic of China (and its partners).
The thrust of which is that it only takes a match to be lit by a small third tier entity (e.g. Taiwan or North Korea or the American Zionist colony in Palestine) to bring the two contending behemoths into unstoppable conflict.
Seen through this lens geopolitics can be appreciated in quite a new and frightening way.
Allison gave a TED talk in 2018 which described this very well and quite succinctly. (See link below)
1
Geo-politically, this post Covid-19 period seems to be even more dangerous with the American Empire becoming far more belligerent with the advent of the current Biden Administration and the seeming turning of the worm in Russia, China, and Iran moving to a more hardball response.
1
All of that however in not what has been exercising the thoughts of this old pew sitter of late.
No, it is all the events in the Empire’s “Roman Centre” (Continental U.S.A.) that are starting to resemble some aspects of a Thucydides Trap.
The recent spectacle of the 2020 Presidential elections drew back the wraps from the deep divide in American culture like no other. And since last November, the internal cultural warfare seems to have grown even more virulent.
1
This seems as if it could be very dangerous.
1
The U.S. (A.) is an incredibly violent nation with a history of that way of being, dating back to its very beginning.
Part of that history has already seen two major internal wars.
First the revolutionary war of 1765 against the World hegemonic empire of the time (British) and the second, the American Civil War of 1861 to determine which form of economic system was to prevail.
Covid-19 has been the catalyst to tip the globalist world economic order over into a vast splitting of the haves and the have-nots, generated by that system.
It seems as if the East and West coast liberal intellectuals have become estranged from, and going into full bore battle against, the rest of the country.
In a country saturated with weapons of death this does not look pretty, particularly with the rapidly changing ethnic balances being brought about by massive flows of people coming in from Central and South America, as a result of claimed political intrigue to ensure the dominance of one political party.
1
A heady combo developing.
1
If this were anywhere near the mark, what might the off centre stage spark be that could set it off and continue the validity of Thucydides Trap insights?
The fallout of it for the rest of the world would make the Covid-19 pandemic itself look like child’s play.
1
I don’t know what the Galilean would do about this if he were here, which is a pretty demoralising admission. It wouldn’t be inter-religious or inter-ethnic hatred, and violence.
Maybe something like taking his fight into the ivory towers of that cultural wreckage with their massive forces of militarised assault on the BEING of every human being world wide.
The five eyes it is sometimes called: Hubris, Power Worship, Envy, Greed and Humbug.
The roots of all evil.
1
But alas.
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said from prison – – “The forcing of God out of the World is the disqualification of religion”. And so as per the Galilean as told in Mark’s story:
It seems as always, back to the individual to effect some change.