Traditionally, great powers have heavily relied on their military and more recently economic power to expand their global influence. This doctrine, is a cornerstone of realism – a theory for which one of the leading advocates Morgenthau equated “the national interest with the acquisition and use of [military and economic] power. As a result, the […]
The ascent to global dominance by the United States after WWI quickly shifted the global power balance, typically to a two power contest until the end of the cold war. With the breakup of the Soviet Union however, America with her Western following enjoyed a near-competition-free unipolar moment until the emergence of China at the […]
Each spring, the ‘two sessions;’ China’s biggest political assembly brings together the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) to deliberate on the nation’s broad policy direction for the new year. This year’s two sessions ran from March 04-12, bringing together members of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) and representatives […]
Last year, China registered a $ 1.2 trillion trade surplus the largest in the history of any economy; a scenario that would have made president Trump right in using the favorite phrase “Like nothing anyone has seen before.” Surprisingly, the record surplus came at a time of unprecedented uncertainty and policy hostility that appeared destined to […]
A profound misconception I have heard regarding the One-China principle is the notion that countries; especially in the global south support this position because of a vested interest in guaranteeing continued Chinese investments in their economies. Uganda also reaffirmed its commitment to the one China Principle once again as it marked 63 years of Uganda-China […]
The 20th Central committee of the Communist Party held its forth plenary session between October 20th-24th 2025 during which a new 5-year plan (2026-2031) was adopted. While it might be tempting to dismiss China’s five-year plan as a domestic affair, this plan will among other things provide the scaffolding for China’s foreign policy over the next 5-years. In […]
The global governance initiative (GGI) is animated by two fundamental facts. First is that central to China’s remarkable achievements over the past half-century has been the Chinese communist party (CPC), while the other is that, in addition to visionary leadership the CPC has had the ability to continuously evolve and adapt [both] itself and its […]
Throughout history, a combination of adversity and necessity have always been the scene for radical shifts in human perspectives; a fundamental for real transformation. This is regardless of whether one is looking at the role of the black death on medicine in Europe or America’s seclusion vis-à-vis its rapid industrialization- what Edmund Burke once described […]
Evidence shows that fragile peace is a significant handicap to prosperity in many parts of the world. In the horn of Africa, a region where peace has mostly been elusive, the Horn of Africa peace and development conference (HoAPDC) emerges as a link between China’s Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the UN SDG-16 on peace, […]
Development is to humans a breaking free from natural necessity as it is to nations breaking free from control by others. Likewise, for nations, the pursuit of development is a national interest as it improves their standing in the international arena and guarantees the attainment of other aspirations as a result. This notwithstanding, unilateralism under […]
