As bad as starting the year off with a terrorist incident, there are far worse things yet to face. Our ability to overcome the challenges that existed to varying degrees ever since our country was founded has declined sharply. Even conservatives aren’t up to the task. Watching how the Speaker of the House was selected reveals that we are too often paralyzed by the “perfect is the enemy of good” mindset.

This mindset means we are unable to face reality and address our challenges directly, a primary one of which is China. This must change if we are to survive and prosper.

An Economist article asks, “Is Western Culture Stopping Kids from Growing Up?” but stops short of asking the right questions. If our children can’t learn what it means to grow up, then how can they effectively and logically evaluate the world around them? This single question may be the most relevant to our nation’s future for the next 100 years. Kidults will be the predominant human lifeform in America for the foreseeable future. As they grow older but not wiser, China will try to exploit this once-in-a-lifetime weakness to counter their own self-inflicted wounds.

Image by Grok.

America’s weakness is centralization and a new American oligarchy that is much less patriotic than it is aligned with what its members see as a new world order. China has been increasingly involved in efforts to influence this oligarchy in U.S. politics and society. This includes intensive lobbying, control of foreign media outlets, and sophisticated disinformation campaigns.

Indeed, China helped create the oligarchy by successfully penetrating our political and economic engines. Its influence operations are cause for concern and have been the subject of much scrutiny and debate. TikTok is one of hundreds of ongoing influence operations intending to learn more about us, determine our weaknesses, amplify them, and foment internal discord and division.

The reality is that China is plagued by problems that America can exploit rather than having China exploit America’s problems.

China’s one-child policy (1979-2015) will likely be remembered as the greatest strategic blunder by a single country ever. It aimed to control population growth but has had significant negative consequences. While it successfully reduced the birth rate, it also led to a rapidly aging population, a skewed gender ratio (48.6% females in China vs. 50.41 here), and a shrinking workforce. Chinese doctors have performed more than 330 million abortions since the one-child policy commenced.  According to official data from the health ministry, a significant majority were females.

How much will China’s population decline in the next 75 years? According to the United Nations, China’s population could drop from its current 1.4 billion to around 1.313 billion by 2050. By the end of the century, some projections suggest the population could fall to as low as 488 million.

However, attributing the entire decline to the one-child policy alone oversimplifies the issue. Since the policy was relaxed in 2015, allowing families to have two children and then again in 2021 to three children, the birthrate has not rebounded as expected. In 2023, China’s birth rate was 1.09, far below the replacement rate of 2.1 needed to maintain population stability.

These demographic challenges now affect China’s economic growth and social stability. The declining population will affect China’s military, economic, and strategic decisions. With fewer people available for military service, China will face challenges maintaining a large and effective military force.

Technological advancements, financial stability, and geopolitical strategies shape China’s military actions. Near-term aggressiveness by China today may reflect the understanding that China is at its peak on multiple levels. I expect China to exhibit maximum aggressiveness in fulfilling its ambitions (much as Russia is doing in Ukraine) during this era of American decline and indecisiveness. For all its bluster and chest-beating, China is on an irreversible downward trajectory and may be unable to hold on to its superpower status. China is desperate to lock in gains now, believing it can set the conditions and terms for the world’s future.

Communism and Godlessness define China. China’s policies are heavily influenced by its communist ideology, which promotes atheism and seeks to align religious practices with the state’s political agenda. The Chinese Communist Party has implemented policies to control and regulate religious activities, ensuring they align with the party’s goals and Marxist vision. This includes the “sinicization” of religion, which aims to integrate religious practices with Chinese culture and socialist values.

Given all of China’s problems, the time is right for America to push back against its anti-American depredations. There is an opening for Trump to launch a major course reversal in non-military policies.

God bless America.

Author, Businessman, Thinker, and Strategist. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com