The Next Soviet Union could Possibly be China

I have been away for a while and have not posted a Blog in over a month. Within that time, much has happened in Tunisia, a lot is happening in Libya and change has come to Egypt. The purpose of this Blog is to address the rise of China. Much change is happening in the Communist state, which is continuously making a name for itself as the next rising actor in the international system. As my favorite saying goes, 'When the United States sneezes the rest of the world catches a Cold'. The same might not be the case anymore with countries such as China possibly not even feeling the breeze. Many have talked about the declining hegemony of the United States, and the continuous debt we continue to incur which is backed by China. The Chinese back our debts so we can go to war and not have to increase taxes. As of now, Chinese economy is growing at a very rapid rate and they have their hands in any place where hands can be, Africa being a major one. Africa is rich, with unlimited natural resources to be tapped into and China like the colonial actors of the past is definitely getting its hands wet. Several articles I have read talk about how China has surpassed the United States as the world's leading manufacturer. How China's rising economic power continues to set records. How China has overtaken Japan as the world's second-largest economy and recently overtook the United States as the world's top manufacturing country by output.

But those on the other side have also made arguments that China faces a lot of internal challenges. One being heavy corruption in the government. The country has a very large population and economic inequality is also a major problem. Environmental degradation is another problem with china being known all over the world as one of the world biggest polluters. Military implications of China's rising economic power is also another topic I have seen tackled in magazines and articles I have read. With China having a higher manufacturing output capacity than the United States, academics have talked about the possibility and likelihood of a large-scale military confrontation between the United States and China. This would mostly be unlikely because of the large economic and human toll that would result, but many whom I guess can be considered ‘Realists’ find it important to consider. 

Americas declining hegemony is definitely obvious, the euro, pound sterling and many other currencies have come close to and challenge the dollar but point is the dollar is still widely respected all over the world. When Wars arise, the United States is among the first, (if not the first country to be called upon). Yes we are heavily in debt, but the dollar is still widely respected when it comes to trade internationally. Also militarily, no one compares to us.