Interesting post. While agree with specific points in your discussion, there are a few that I disagree with. With the largest capital reserves in the world, People's Republic of China is a credible threat on numerous fronts, however; PRC is only an emerging regional power with a fragile economy.

At the same time, the threat that PRC poses is somewhat exaggerated by our own Congress. The war hawks on capitol hill, namely the neo-conservatives, are notorious for ensuring that the U.S. always has a credible enemy or rival (PRC is not yet an enemy)...and if one is not emerging on the horizon, then one will be "created". This has alot to do with insuring that the Military Industrial Complex (MIC) continues to thrive. The MIC accounts for more than 42% of global military sales.

With that being said, PRC of course looks like an 800 pound gorilla, but the country has some mounting weakness that will begin to compound over time, and will invariably threaten PRC's economic & social reform programs...which could lead to numerous fault lines within its own borders.

1. PRC is an export economy: With the global recession still in full stride, the unemployment rate between the G8 and BRIC-M countries is hovering at approximately 8%. The rates are vastly more dismal for the rest of the world (CIA World Factbook). Therefore, the global demand for Chinese manufactures has declined dramatically, thereby, leading to the layoff of tens of millions of Chinese citizens. If the country’s GDP growth rate fell below 8% for several consecutive years, then the country could face an implosion of cataclysmic proportions, subsequently leading to the destabilizations of Asia Pacific, and then propagating to other parts of the world…bye-bye Wal Mart.

2. Deeper emersion of the PRC into the international system of states: PRC’s continued integration into the WTO is forcing the