China and the US are in a pitched battle to control the way the world functions - from the global trade and investment regime and choice of reserve currency to its top products and which country is the most influential. Governments, businesses, and individuals are being forced to make a choice: lean in the direction of the eagle and pursue a free, democratic, and market-oriented economic and political system, or lean in the direction of the panda, toward that of an authoritarian form of government and state-dominated economic system. It is, ultimately, a confrontation that will determine our collective future and the stakes are extremely high. For some nations, businesses, and consumers, the choice is easy and obvious; for others, it is a real dilemma. This book explores many of the dynamics at play in arriving at that decision, including the impact China and the US have on global politics, economics, technology, military power, geostrategic influence, and the environment. Wagner has written an important and fascinating exploration of the divisive landscape that is already in the process of defining the 21st century. The rules governing geopolitics, supply chains, military strategy and capabilities, and a host of other variables that define how the world functions are in the process of being rewritten by these two great powers.The America-China Divide is an insightful and sobering analysis.
As Washington seeks to preserve the postwar world order it was instrumental in creating, Beijing is attempting to seize what is views as China's rightful place as the world's leading nation, based on its own set of rules. The ability to control the global corridors of power, the health of national economies, AI and military supremacy, and the fate of the world's environment all ride in the balance. In this race, there will be no single winner or loser, but rather, an ongoing skirmish that will last well into the future for the hearts, souls, minds, and dollars of everyone on the planet.