Lexington Green, who's gotten awful bossy as of late...
... sees fit to give me regular reading assignments. Many others try this. For some reason, I accept his more than not (e.g., Kaplan's "Imperial Grunts" excerpt in the Atlantic Monthly, which I will review for my newsletter this week).
In this post, he analyzes Mr. Lee's Der Spiegel interview himself, referencing my thinking: http://www.chicagoboyz.net/archives/003470.html.
Mr. Green's regular bouts of dark vision worry me some, but he's so reasonable the rest of the time. My problem with his characterization of my thinking is that he seems to suggest a Pollyannish wait-and-hope-it-will-all-work-out on my part, when in reality I argue in BFA for a very aggressive partnering with China. I realize the potential for dark turns there, and I trust the Chinese (and especially the Party) to be exactly what they are--Chinese.
I just believe that--and this will be hard for anyone over 50 (no assumptions on Mr. Green) to believe--unlike the 20th century, where, if you were like us politically then we could trust you as our friends, in the 21st century I think it will be the opposite, as in, if you are like us economically then we can trust you.
Here's my scary emerging truth on China: we have more in common with them economically than we realize, and that commonality will overshadow our increasing distance from the rest of the Old Core (Japan and Europe) over diverging economic philosophies (despite the apparent political similarities).
My view on future alliance with China is not based on optimism, but economic determinism, and yes, I know that marks me as having an blindspot on irrationality. But my plan for the irrationals (aka transnational terrorists and occasional nutcase leader) is simple: hunt them down one by one and kill them, because they do not belong to our shared global future. I don't see irrationals running China. Much like the Sovs, I see very careful, far too unimaginative men who need to be brought into larger networks of relationships that--from our perspective--will serve us better than any other singular ally we would be able to come up with across the 21st century.
This isn't about idealism. Grand strategy is about getting what you want--as efficiently as possible. I want globalization to be truly global because that serves America's interest. China is just the straight line between two points.