There is an argument for continuing the convention of referring to the president of the United States as the most powerful person in the world. The dollar has not quite yet been replaced as the world’s international reserve currency and Bretton Woods still, creaking and cracking, holds.
China is now the manufacturer of the world and its brands are no longer laughable worldwide. The United States has just sustained massive damage to its soft power from its support for Gaza genocide.
But China still plays the long game, relying on trade, investment and loans to increase its economic reach. It does not depend on military force or covert regime change to secure access to economic resources.
The more direct American methods work in the short term. Israel is benefiting from the Arab regimes of the Gulf — Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia — all being dependent on U.S. military and security service support to protect them from their own populations.
The U.S. is still prepared to project direct military power and fight wars overseas to maintain its influence. China now has greater military capability than the U.S., but sees no advantage in using it.
Hellbound and Down 