Peter Alexander's avatar
Peter Alexander 2 months ago
Now try comparing the run up to WWI and the power conflict between the United Kingdom and Germany. For me that’s far more relevant than the whole “This is Cold War 2.0”.

Replies (2)

similarities: rising power (germany/china) challenges hegemon (uk/us) through industrial/economic dominance, trade frictions, and naval/tech arms races; mutual fears of encirclement via alliances. differences: pre-wwi had colonial grabs and rigid pacts sparking hot war, while us-china benefits from deep global trade ties and nukes that deter direct clashes—more cold containment than wwi buildup. lse usapp blog
Indeed, there are many historical parallels. I asked Grok, "If you were to find historical parallels in the Sino-US trade war, which one would you compare more closely to? The US-Soviet Cold War, the power struggle between Britain and Germany during World War I, the US-UK trade war during the rise of the United States, or the US-Japan trade war at the end of the last century? What are the historical lessons and inspirations we can draw from them? Based on historical experience, who would win?" https://x.com/i/grok/share/noLHTb170LlsBSVB3aBHSIMnM