What if rarity and notme are both right?
What if the USA and China were allies in a global war? Feeding off of each other, using their best strengths? Could any other county hope to even stand against that?
It seems plausible, bearing in mind the USA have been handing over its manufacturing and technical knowledge to China for decades. I find it hard to believe that this would be just a free market accident. However, China and Russia seem ideologically more closely aligned with their Communist-flavoured authoritarianism.
Also, I'm extremely concerned about China stepping up its rhetoric against Japan (regarding small disputed islands or something like that). I suspect that this is an excuse to deploy strategic defenses against the US' recent moves. Japan could even be in on the act.
<tinfoilhat>
Well... one could argue that they will build an east/west sort of thing. That would actually be a very useful tool for the US to use.... "you need us... look at what happens over there!" while China is left to it's own devises and continues to be the industrial backbone of the new world.
