Picture this: Donald Trump lines up his shot at Mar-a-Lago, while Xi Jinping welcomes Kim Jong Un’s daughter to a state dinner. One leader chases a golf ball. The other builds the next world order.
While the US gets lost in its own noise, China moves with quiet purpose. Xi, Putin, and Kim have created something more substantial than a photo opportunity. They share weapons, money, and a plan to end Western power.
Let’s look at the facts. Three nuclear states now control a third of the world’s land. They hold rare earths, energy, and factories that make NATO look small. They plan in decades. We plan in news cycles.
Kim Jong Un brought his daughter to meet Xi last week. That’s not a detail, it’s a message. North Korea is thinking in generations. China told Pyongyang its value “will not change.” This isn’t a short-term deal. This is built to last.
Russia brings force. North Korea brings chaos. China brings cash and calls the shots. Together, they offer a new path for strongmen. Join us, they say, and you keep your power. Trade with us and skip Western rules. Buy our arms and forget about lectures on rights.
Now, US companies face a test. You can sell in China, but only by playing by Beijing’s rules. You can source from this bloc, but risk your supply chain being held hostage. Every choice in the boardroom is now a bet on which system will win.
The State Department still thinks tough words matter. Congress holds hearings, but little changes. Meanwhile, China’s engineers help Russia make new missiles. North Korean shells hit Ukraine. Beijing’s digital currency chips away at the dollar. Words don’t stand a chance against actions.
Business schools still teach cases from the 1990s, when the West thought its values would spread everywhere. Today’s MBA students need new lessons. The world is splitting in two: open or closed, free or controlled. Companies must pick a side or risk losing both.
This axis offers order, but through force. No real elections. No tough questions from the press. No courts to stop bad deals. For leaders tired of the mess of democracy, Beijing’s model can look smooth. That’s the trap. That’s what could undo everything America built after 1945.
Here’s the choice: accept this new order or fight for what matters. But fighting takes focus. Focus takes leaders who look past the next round of golf. While Trump perfects his swing, Xi perfects his plan. That’s the real game. And it’s one the US can’t afford to lose.
