Unfulfilled futures (3/3): The failed Pacific handshake

In the mid-2000s, faced with China's rise to power, the idea emerged of a necessary and close collaboration between China and the United States. Since then, so much has changed in the Sino-American relationship that the future does not bode well. But perhaps it could have been otherwise.

OUR SERIES «UNFULFILLED FUTURES.» In the military world, it is said that no plan survives the test of reality. This is often true in politics as well. Futures that seemed inevitable in their time fade into oblivion—or are mocked, in hindsight, of course. Yet taking another look at them today sheds light both on what the world could have been and on what it has become. These scenarios also reflect the fears and hopes of their time. And sometimes, these possible futures—which we thought were doomed to oblivion—resurface and