But what if all of us and everyone else is wrong?

Just thinking out loud here.

Back in the Cold War, there were two theories, the predominant one and a lesser known one.

The main theory was that the spread of communism could go everywhere around the world. That is why the Americans went into Vietnam because they feared the dominoes theory that if one state should fall to communism then all the other states in the region would fall too. Therefore, America had to fight communism across the globe.

The other theory was that the Cold War will be decided in Europe and not elsewhere. That turned out to be correct, that Euro-centric view.

Today, here are the basic facts about big trends in the world.

1) increased competition between the United States and China

2) the rise of the global south

3) the rise of China

4) society and industry being transformed by technology, which China is one of the drivers of that

Put those all together, and we really have to honesty ask, what is the main show, and what is the side show?

The rise of China is real, and the rise of the global south is real and gaining momentum, and with the BRI, China and the global south seem to be linked together in development. Also, here is the kicker, Huawei and Chinese tech! It is everywhere?!

(Maybe we follow Chinese tech so closely, we see the trees but not the forest. Could Chinese tech be that transformative? China, RCEP, & Russia, can buy almost anything in this world.)

The Vietnam War was really important, but in the end, that was a sideshow during the Cold War. It did not change anything in the world, as it turned out.

The Vietnam War did kind of trap people into a set mode of thinking, us versus them.

But that does not seem to be that prevalent this time around.

Us versus them, seems more like the west versus the rest, and the rest aren't that interested, and the west may not be that united on all issue pertaining to the rest of the world.

Assad went to visit the UAE yesterday, and that is hilarious. What does that tell everybody? Maybe everybody who is not the west is fed up and want a bigger say on their own interests, and do not want to be trapped in a us versus them narrative.

India is another prime example.