[Tariq Ali] Afghanistan, China & the Decline of U.S. Power (part 2)

The ignominious debacle in Afghanistan was predictable and predicted. Afghans, like most people, don't appreciate foreign invaders occupying their country. Just ask the British and the Russians. But the U.S., in its imperial hubris, thought it was different. It would nation-build in Afghanistan and bring democracy to that land. Meanwhile, China is watching the U.S. squander its wealth on military adventures. The decline of U.S. power is evident. In its place, China is rapidly expanding its influence. Its Belt and Road Initiative is an ambitious global infrastructure project, a new Silk Road. China, as the quip goes, had a bad couple of centuries of wars, famine and disease but now it is back. It’s a force to be reckoned with. Its economic clout is increasing and it will soon be the world's biggest economy.