BREMMER: The Japan-China Crisis Is The Most Significant Geopolitical Tension In The World

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-china-crisis-is-a-huge-geopolitical-problem-2013-1



Blodget: What’s going to happen with China and Japan?

Bremmer: The big problem is that the relationship, the balance of power between these two countries, has changed and is changing dramatically—and really, very strongly not in Japan’s favor.

From a security perspective, a political perspective, an economic perspective, this is just creating big, big problems for the Japanese. And now they finally have a leader that has a good shot at staying around for a while. He has a more—not just nationalist inclination—but a more pro-democracy inclination. He was prime minister last time and people said he was more pragmatic, but if you met with him, he talked about wanting to create a league of democracies in Asia [and] orienting much more towards India and Australia and New Zealand. He was Mr. Pivot before pivoting was fashionable, right?

Now he comes into a context where the U.S. is already acting in a way that’s concerned about a Chinese challenge in the region. It’s the single biggest strategic effort that the Obama administration has engaged in, from a foreign policy perspective.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-china-crisis-is-a-huge-geopolitical-problem-2013-1#ixzz2Iu7MvLJl