power alignment

[happythoughts 0]

When Cuba was involved in the war in Angola, there was some question about whether anyone should be meddling in the affairs of the African non-aligned nations.

Castro responded (sarcastically), "There are only two non-aligned nations, the US and the USSR."

Essentially, everybody picks a side based on their monetary interests.

Today, in Asia, there is China. India is moving forward.
In the ME, the Saudis.
The US.
Russia to an extent.

Economy and cash decide the sphere of influence.

Did I miss anyone?
Obviously, China and Saudi Arabia influence US foreign policy. So there is some overlap.

[nerdgirl 0]

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Did I miss anyone?

European Union.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the EU was posited as a metaphorical counter-weight to US influence, w/r/t balance of power.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[kelpdiver 2]

There would seem to be a trend towards unions. When I was in Costa Rica I noticed that Central America is moving towards their own, and already have standardized customs processes across the subcontinent.

As resources become tighter, there is certainly incentive for nations to bundle together with their neighbors to reduce the number of external dependencies. (or to start warring with each other)

[nerdgirl 0]

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There would seem to be a trend towards unions. When I was in Costa Rica I noticed that Central America is moving towards their own, and already have standardized customs processes across the subcontinent.

As resources become tighter, there is certainly incentive for nations to bundle together with their neighbors to reduce the number of external dependencies. (or to start warring with each other)

Good point, ASEAN as another example.

It's just a lot more complex world than the old Cold War model.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[happythoughts 0]

There are two types of models.

The Unions that are internally connected like Central America do not project power. They are trying to combine so that they have economic leverage (similar to a farmers cooperative).

I am thinking in terms of projecting power beyond your borders and influencing the internal control of another country.

Usually a country with strong enough economics will spend some money to establish a foreign military presence. Japan did it in the past. The US, USSR, China.

During the 80s, everybody had something going on in Africa.

For world-level banking, a lot of the largest private investors are Saudi Arabian. They also have a lot of cash. They hold a strong financial and political position in both the Eastern and Western communities. That is interesting.

China's economy is expanding rapidly. I am unsure of Japans position in Asia anymore.

About 15 years ago, someone said that the next world war would not be about oil, it would be about food.
Even though South/Central America are position to produce food, it wouldn't project their influence beyond their borders.