GOOD MORNING FROM LONDON #185
Increasingly the 18 March 2021 in Alaska will be seen as a significant turning point in world affairs. It was the moment in time when a balance changed + the conduct of international relations took a new character. China lectured the US.
The words of State Councillor Yang Yiechi echoed around the world. He looked Secretary of State Blinken straight in the eye + said “Don’t Talk Down To Us Again”. The US is no longer in charge. Its writ does not run. Its influence/reach/effectiveness has been curbed. We are in a new world of political balance. There is a “new boy on the bloc” + the world will be different.
There is always a time lag between change and the adjustment to change. Life always proceeds with a mix of “step-by-step” blended with moments of surge and change. Alaska marked the latter + the world will take time to take in the significance. At the macro level – what does it mean for the geopolitical world? At the micro-level what does it mean for the S China Sea and Belt + Road + China-UK relations? And what will it mean for the US? Their hierarchy will have been stunned + they will react in the short term with bravado. The long term will be quite different.
