Strategy is required when you need to win over a perceived adversary. Realist Scarcity mindset: Fear of losing something, anxiety about not having enough, insecurity about lacking security, and greed for more. It always strives for a win-lose outcome, where one's gain is someone else's loss. Obama's Pivot to Asia: "If over a billion Chinese citizens have the same living patterns as Australians and Americans do right now, then all of us are in for a very miserable time. The planet just can't sustain it." Idealist Abundance mindset: Cooperation, resource-sharing, and win-win outcomes. In 2011, Obama proposed the "Pivot to Asia" strategy, which shifted the focus of US foreign policy from the Middle East to Asia. This, along with the wargaming of a sea blockade of Chinese commercial ships on a global scale, the formation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which deliberately excluded China, the establishment of a 2500-strong US marine air-ground task force in Darwin, and an increase in the rotation of both US Air Force planes and US Navy vessels through Australian bases, alarmed the Chinese leadership. Unable to remain passive, hide their strength, and bide their time, Xi Jinping was selected as the leader of China in 2013 to make China more secure. These included the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Belt and Road initiative, and the building of artificial islands in the South China Sea. These policies were a direct response to the perceived threat posed by the "Pivot to Asia" strategy. No country is excluded from joining the AIIB or the Belt and Road Initiative. Obama's intentions were clarified when he responded to Xi Jinping's proposal on September 25, 2015, to make the South China Sea (SCS) a non-militarized zone by initiating freedom of navigation operations in the SCS on October 27, 2015. "The United States hasn't started quarrel with anyone except China of course": Started 201 wars since WWII, overthrew 36 foreign leaders, killed or attempted to kill 50, dropped bombs in 30 countries, interfered in 86 foreign elections, and established a staggering 800 overseas military bases. To make the world safe for democracy, the US has caused the deaths of tens of millions of people in its conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria. The CIA was involved in covert operations that resulted in mass killings of communists in over 22 countries. 500,000 to 2,000,000 Indonesian civilians disappeared in 1965-1966. The Chinese must be very happy that a person with such deep knowledge and intellect is working for the US. The Chinese military has not been involved in any war or used its weapons to kill a single person outside its territory in the last forty-four years. George Kennan, February 24, 1948, U.S. Foreign Policy: Furthermore, we have about 50% of the world’s wealth but only 6.3% of its population. This disparity is particularly great as between ourselves and the peoples of Asia. In this situation, we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national security.

Excellent analysis. Very correct description of Sri Lankans in 2023.

One of the greats. Seems like a cool guy too

Thank you for posting this. Greatly appreciated.

Anything involving Michael Pettis is worth listening to.

thanks for creating this panel , is very interesting and much appreciated .