Some 2 weeks ago, I wrote my blog: Change, the centrifugal force of beliefs. My blog casually stated that a centrifugal force “leaves a void in the middle”. I didn’t realise that I was referring to another important concept: a vacuum. A vacuum cannot last long as a vacuum creates an imploding force, like electromagnetism, one of the 4 fundamental forces of Nature.
A similar comment (“a vacuum doesn’t last long”) was made in my new favourite TV series Justified (rated 8.6 in IMDb), which broadcasts on Amazon Prime Video. Winding up criminal organisations will create opportunities for newcomers as Money is a powerful Belief system.
The same principle must apply to Politics, another one in my concept of the 7 Belief systems. The slowly emerging vacuum in the political center will – sooner or later – allow opportunities for newcomers. I’m not talking about the (new) Presidents in Brazil, Philippines, Turkey or USA. These people represent the centrifugal force towards the political fringes.
I think, feel and believe there is an emerging vacuum in geopolitics. The US retreat, including its threats to retreat, from international organisations (eg, climate, ICC, NAFTA, NATO, TPP, UN, UN HRC, WTO) offers opportunities to nations for filling this vacuum (eg, Foreign Policy, 2017).
The Belt and Road Initiative (a.k.a. One Belt One Road) represents the Chinese ambition for recreating the ancient imperial Silk Road trade routes. As a consequence, China now controls the Greek port of Piraeus and several other European ports (NPR). Chinese infrastructure investments in Sri Lanka have caused concern in India and USA and may also be linked to yesterday’s alleged assassination plot as claimed by the Sri Lankan President (Bloomberg).
The perceived dangers of Chinese infrastructure investments in Africa have led a “strong bipartisan” support in US Congress to pass the “Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act” (a.k.a. the BUILD Act) “while the Trump administration has yet to formulate a policy toward the region” (Brookings). Note LO: there is not even a Wiki link yet.
This vacuum in geopolitics and the opportunities for others could be illustrated by:
(1) the Chinese militarization and nuclearization of the (territorially disputed) Spratly islands in the South China Sea (my 2018 blog);
(2) increasing Chinese threats to invade Taiwan (my 2018 blogs of August and October).
Perhaps, the most scary part is that the 45th US President needs a (currency, cyber, military and/or trade) war to (i) reunite his (extremely) divided country, (ii) get re-elected in 2020, and (iii) lose Robert Mueller‘s Russia probe against him. Also see my 2016 blog: Time & Space – Conflict, Chaos and Change.
You Can Feel It (2015) by Young Gun Silver Fox
artists, bandcamp, Fb, lyrics, video, no Wiki link
It’s coming around again
Change is in the air
It doesn’t always need a name
You don’t have to see it to know it’s there
‘Cause you can feel it
Note: all markings (bold, italic, underlining) by LO unless stated otherwise
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