In the imagination of many Christians (JWs included) the biblical texts tell of each succeeding world power winning its position through the power of its armies, on the battlefield. Even the YHWH/JESUS combo is imagined as winning in an enormously destructive battle.
The Knorr/Franz nomination for the world power No.7 - the Anglo/American alliance certainly gained and still maintains its hegemony via its military power. Its battle fleets armed with the most destructive power in history patrol the world. Near 900 military bases scattered around the globe attempt to maintain its position.
And yet, .....!
WP No7 is now under pressure, not on the battlefield, but in a different sort of competition.
The Boston Globe reports that in 2015, the Massachusett's Institute of Technology, was surpassed as the worlds best in STEM (Science, Technology.Engineering and Mathematics) subjects, by China's Tsinghua University in Beijing.
More, in a world where technological progress is vital, China now trains 1.3 million STEM graduates each year versus the USA's 300,000.
More than that in a whole range of fields, China is surpassing the USA.
Never before has a nation risen so fast on so many dimensions. When Ronald Reagan became president in 1981, China’s economy was just 10 percent the size of America’s. By 2014, it had catapulted to 100 percent, and today it stands at 115 percent. If the US and Chinese economies continue their current growth trends, China’s economy will be 50 percent larger in 2023. By 2040, it will be three times larger.
A nation that did not appear in any of the international league tables in 1980 has vaulted into the top position.
And, interestingly, the response of the west is --- Guess?
No need to guess, its quite clear, the response of the west is to use military threats. And where the west's military strength destroys, the Chinese policy is to build. China's engineers are busy building a modern high speed rail (over 250 km/hour speed) network in China (something like 20,000 km, and will eventually connect all cities with a population of 250,000) and outside of China. China offers (if you like) to construct, not destroy.
Does the author of the Boston Globe know what he's talking about? You judge: His name is Graham Allison, he is the director of Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the author of the forthcoming book “Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?”