Hal Brands Thinks China is a Declining Power... Here's Why that's a Problem
Democracy Paradox
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The Peaking Power Trap
The idea of the peaking power trap is very psychological. It's not necessarily connected to reality, says Peter Bergen. In some cases leaders just fundamentally miscalculate the balance of power or prospects for successful aggression and that clearly happened to Putin in the run up to February 2022. The Japanese understood they had a very, very small chance of winning an extended war against the United States, but they chose to take a huge risk in attacking Pearl Harbor because they thought the alternatives were worse.
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