The US-China Collision Course
One power built the global order; the other wants to revise it. This is the rivalry that will define your lifetime, and most people understand it badly. Start with what America actually is — a maritime empire in denial — then look at what China is building, where the flashpoints are (Taiwan, semiconductors, the First Island Chain), and why Graham Allison thinks history is not on our side. Spoiler: it's not obvious who wins.
Most US-China analysis picks a side. This track picks apart the structure. By the end you’ll understand why both countries are behaving rationally — and why that makes the situation more dangerous, not less.
7
Articles
99
Minutes
0
Words
The reading order
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Powers 15 minUnited StatesOceanic moats, no rival neighbors, and 25% of global GDP—geography gave America an unrivaled hand. How it built hegemony and why it may be slipping.
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Powers 26 minChinaNot rising but returning: Beijing's drive to reclaim its historical 33% share of global GDP is reordering alliances, trade, and territory across Asia.
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Concepts 13 minFirst Island ChainA 5,000km arc from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines cages China's navy. How this archipelagic barrier defines the US-China military standoff.
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Chokepoints 13 minTaiwan Strait90% of advanced semiconductors are made on one side of this 130-km passage. A Chinese assault here would trigger the gravest global crisis since 1945.
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Concepts 13 minSemiconductor GeopoliticsTaiwan makes most advanced chips on earth, 100 miles from China. Why semiconductor manufacturing became the highest-stakes chokepoint in geopolitics.
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Concepts 11 minBelt and Road InitiativeChina's trillion-dollar gambit to rewire global trade routes through 140+ countries. How BRI builds infrastructure abroad while projecting Beijing's power.
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Thinkers 8 minGraham AllisonHe used the Cuban Missile Crisis to expose how governments actually decide, then coined 'Thucydides Trap' — the framework dominating US-China analysis.