Detente & Entente

De·tente /dāˈtänt/ noun. 

the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries.

En·tente /änˈtänt/ noun.

a friendly understanding or informal alliance between states or factions.

During the post-WWII Cold War between America and the Soviet Union, the two sides played a game of chicken by targeting thousands of nuclear bombs at one another, thereby ensuring mutual destruction in case of war. During the ensuing detente, America helped defeat the Soviet Union, characterized by President Ronald Reagan as “An Evil Empire,” by outspending, outsmarting, and outlasting this adversary.

Adopting the old adage that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” the current entente between Putin’s Russia and Xi’s China is alarming in the short term and dangerous in the long term. Add Iran to the equation and the dynamics might finally compel us to abandon our internal bickering and reunite as a nation to confront this external threat.

While a lone wolf is unable to take down a bear, a pack of three wolves can. Given that the Russian army is amassed on the Ukraine border, that China continues to violate Taiwan’s airspace, and that Iran has repeatedly made clear its nuclear threat towards America's ally Israel, our country’s military attention is now split three-ways, representing a potential stretch that poses a growing threat to America’s 75-year hegemony as leader of the international order.

America’s current weakness is the result of a confluence of factors including the pandemic, inflation, in-migration, and a cresting cultural revolution most evident in cities like Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco. Meanwhile, the Chinese and the Russians have their own problems, the most devastating of which is population decline due to low fertility rates well below that required to sustain their respective population levels. In addition, political repression and an underlying cultural lack of creativity suggest a likely incentive for them to strike sooner than later if they perceive America’s currently weakened state to be temporary before we sort out issues such as on-shoring our industries.

So, the question is, how would America win if and when we do enter a new Detente with Russia and China. One answer might be found in this article, which I encourage everyone to read, America’s Future Depends on the Blockchain.

While nobody desires a shooting war, it is true that the best prevention is preparation. To that point, we believe the race to adopt Blockchain today is the equivalent of the space and arms races of yesteryears. City Club plans to host regular gatherings on this subject so our members can learn more and adopt this technology faster.

— Sina.