U.S. Geopolitical Strategies and China’s Challenge

Geopolitical studies that emerged in the twentieth century have mushroomed into a momentous scholarly industry. Culturally-framed nationalism is driven geopolitically by a type of internalized nativist outlook which surveils the illintentions of foreign adversaries. Nationalism’s climax came with its enshrinement in the Paris Treaties (1919-20) ending World War I. By 1917, the first totalitarian system arose in Russia, a novel form of government that sought total domination of all aspects of life. The Cold War after 1948 pitted two opposite forms of government: U.S. constitutional republic vs. totalitarian one-party Soviet Union, pursuing an active foreign policy implementing a global geopolitical strategy. After the collapse of the Soviet Union (1991), the U.S. appeared as the singular superpower. Yet, a revived post-Mao China offered a challenge to U.S. global role. This essay explores recent developments in that competition, demonstrating that the geopolitics of both sides exhibit not only suspicion of the other’s intentions but also a misunderstanding of the respective political cultures which complicates any peaceful resolution.