Shahbaz Munawar Kazmi
We divide in search of materialistic gains. We divide in search of power. We divide when we try to dominate the world. And that’s how the world divides into two blocs. We become strong when we are united and we become weak when divided. Separation will give you pain and pang. It will damage the peace of the world. There will be chaos in every corner of the world. And this happens during the bipolar world.
The concept of bipolarity has significant implications for global order. Firstly, two rival powers cannot remain in equilibrium indefinitely; one has to surpass the other and therefore conflict is inevitable in a bipolar world and that is the greatest loss .Of increasing importance also, is the emergence of power blocs, which arise as lesser powers fall under the influence of one or other of the superpowers. In this regard, global order is not stable during periods of bipolarity, but instead, warfare appears to be necessary for the resolution of rivalry between two superpowers. In this context, it seems fitting to describe a bipolar world as one that is in “dynamic equilibrium,” where the two sides are equal in power but one may achieve a higher power for a short time before the other matches that power again to re-establish the balance.
We have seen in the past that power rivalry led to the bipolar world. And the world divided into two blocs namely eastern and western blocs headed by the (erstwhile) Soviet Union and USA respectively. The Soviet-led Bloc was called Communist Bloc while the US-led Bloc was known as Free World. The next power rivalry will be between USA and China. They have race for power rivalry. The comparative study of these two states will show that what’s going to happen next and show which countries will join which Bloc? Come to economy first, GDP nominal of USA is $21.44 trillion and 21.44 trillion PPP, while China’s nominal is $14.14 trillion and $ 27.31 PPP.
In case of GDP PPP China is on top while in case of GDP Nominal USA is on top. Come to military, active and reserve personnel of USA is 1,281,900 and 811,000 respectively. And China’s active and reserve personnel are 2,300,000 and 8,000,000 respectively. China is dominating in case of active and reserve personnel, tanks, total artillery, soft propelled artillery, rocket artillery, fighter aircrafts, Frigates, Corvettes and submarine over USA. While USA is dominating in armoured fighting vehicles, multirole aircraft, attack aircraft, helicopter, destroyers and aircraft carrier over China. But according to the report of Financial Times, technology not military power, will be the basis for this new global split.
There is race for artificial intelligence, quantum computing, autonomous vehicle and advanced computer chips. The most visible technological battle has been over 5G, the superfast cellular networks that promise to be the foundation for tomorrow’s technologies. The US government has taken extraordinary measures to try to thwart Huawei, the cellular-technology leader that Washington considers a cyber-security threat. The country is currently gearing up to release a 15-year blueprint — known as “China Standards 2035” — that will outline its plans to set the global standards for future technologies. In 2017, China announced ambitions to become a global leader in the field of artificial intelligence by 2030.
After seeing statistics, facts and figures of military, technology and economy of both super powers it is going to be a great battle in near future. Who will lead? Who will surpass? Who will win this battle? This is the burning question of current time. The one who will be on the top in case of technology, economy, military and foreign relation will rule the world.
—The writer is associated with Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan.
