China, the U.S., and the Geography of the 21st Century

MIN READAug 21, 2020 | 10:00 GMT

Pedestrians stand on top of a world map at a monument commemorating the Age of Exploration in Lisbon, Portugal.

(Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images)

The geographical perspective of the 21st century is just now being formed. And at its heart is a rivalry between China and the United States to succeed Europe’s 500-year centrality in the international system, which will be framed by a shift in global economic activity and trade, new energy resource competition, a weakening Europe and Russia, and a technological battle to control information. The new map of the next century will extend to the ocean floor for resources and subsea cables, to space where low-Earth orbit satellites drive communications, and into the ill-defined domain of cyberspace. ...