The Global Questions Series: Number 2 – Midgard

China, The United States, Superpower Relationships In Geopolitics, Game Theory, and Incentives

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Biden and Xi: A Fight For Market Share

3. Vice Presidency Relationship

4. China and The United States Relations

5. Relationships in Geopolitics – Their Importance

6. The Current System – The Game Theory of US-China Relations

7. Biden and Xi: Win-Win or Lose-Lose?

8. The Incentives To Pursue Win-Win On An Individual Level

9. The Incentives To Pursue Win-Win On A State-Level

10. Concluding Remarks

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Introduction

In Norse mythology, the tree of life Yggdrasil rose from the void and unified nine worlds. The nine worlds are named Asgard, Alfheim, Vanaheim, Midgard (Earth), Muspelheim, Nilfheim, Jotunheimr, Hel, and Svartalfahemir. It’s a spelling test participant's worst nightmare.

Asgard was considered the head of the Nine Realms. Its inhabitants are protectors of the Nine Realms and the outer regions of space. It’s a model of society that we one day, on Earth, may be subjected to. Whoever controls the high ground has surveillance of, and a certain level of control over, the territory below it. As we enter a multipolar world, and a new space race, a few questions arise.

Who will rule this new space race?

The current high ground is the existence of satellites in Earth orbit. How will this change over the coming decades? The Moon? Mars? The entire universe? In my other newsletter, Something Greater, I recently wrote about the limits of our thinking. This got me thinking about limits in geopolitics. What are the limits to our high ground? I’ll explore this idea over the coming months in my Global Questions Series.

Before we head space-bound, we need to understand the territory below the high ground. Let’s explore the current battles we partake in here on Earth.

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Biden and Xi: A Fight For Market Share

The Cold War ended with a friendship. Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev worked on their relationship as leaders and solved a decades-long issue that ruled geopolitics. The world lived in relative peace for a short time. In the background, however, a panda was rising.