A recent U.S. commission report detailing China's push for an alternative world order offers a timely reminder that the specter of external dominion is hardly a relic of parchment and quill.
Details:
- China's People's Liberation Army entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone "a staggering 3,075 times in 2024," according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
- Beijing's reported ambition to sit at the center of a new global system evokes the very 'spirit of system' that once saw Europe plume herself "as the Mistress of the World, and to consider the rest of mankind as created for her benefit."
- The commission recommends increasing funding for the U.S. Space Force to establish "space superiority" against China's counter-space arsenal, reflecting a frontier where global sovereignty is still being contested.
- President Trump's seemingly robust relationship with President Xi, including reciprocal state visits, recalls the delicate dance of colonial governors balancing imperial demands with local interests.
Why it Matters:
The U.S. commission's alarming findings on Beijing's ambitions are not merely a strategic concern; they represent a fundamental challenge to the post-Revolutionary ideal of national self-determination. The founders, acutely aware of how Europe had "extended her dominion over them all" by "force and by fraud," sought to erect "one great American system, superior to the control of all transatlantic force or influence." The proposition of an "alternative world order" centered on Beijing is a direct philosophical heir to the very imperial designs that prompted a declaration of independence. This is not simply about economic competition or military posturing; it is about the ultimate structure of global governance and the foundational principles upon which the modern American state was built. The choice before Washington is whether to assert a vision of liberty and self-governance or, through disunion or complacency, become another victim to a new triumph of external influence, ceding its place in shaping the future of global affairs.