When Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Narendra Modi stood together at the SCO Summit in Tianjin (31 Aug-1 Sep 2025), many saw a sudden rupture. Through the lens of The Personal View, it isn’t sudden at all, but rather a foreseeable coalescing of forces long in motion: the rise of China, the ascent of Asia, and the structural rebalancing of power first asserted in “The USA – The Next 18 Years” (14 Mar 2016).
From Assertion to Fulfilment
The Personal View flagged 2015 – 2033 as a period of tectonic upheaval, turning the world upside down structurally. The waning of US influence, the fracturing of debt-fueled dominance, and Asia’s gravitational pull were core to that thesis. What we see now isn’t chance dislocation but structural change realised.
The Waning of the United States
The USA’s status has ebbed as addiction to debt, risky investment, and political polarisation erode leadership credibility. Capital outflows are not cyclical tremors but structural reallocations toward Asia. Tariffs under Donald Trump, 50% duties on India in 2025, didn’t restore primacy; they nudged India closer to Beijing and Moscow, hastening a multipolar world.
The Thucydides Trap
In “The Thucydides Trap, War Cometh” (15 Apr 2025), The Personal reiterated a long-standing warning of the systemic confrontation likely when rising powers meet incumbents. Graham Allison’s study shows 12 of 16 such contests ended in war. Today’s conflict is often non-kinetic: Tariff wars, tech wars, sanctions, structural contests washing away the old status quo.
A Decade of The Personal View
- The USA – The Next 18 Years (14 Mar 2016): U.S. upheaval opens space for rivals – Available on Request
- USA – Major Themes 2015 – 2033 (12 Feb 2025): mapping turbulent decline – https://bit.ly/3K27TVa
- Megatrends & The Future of Capital (Apr 2025) – https://bit.ly/4fYAmHq
- The Thucydides Trap, War Cometh (15 Apr 2025) – https://bit.ly/4gnhgeB
- India 2035 – Global Tech Leader (15 Jul 2025) – https://bit.ly/4n3zCTM
Conclusion
The Russia-China-India Trilateral isn’t a surprise; it’s a growing and evolving decade-long narrative from The Personal View: Asia rising, US Decline, and structural overhaul. The global order of yesterday is dissolving. What replaces it is collective bargaining, disruptive realignment, and Asia-led ascendancy. For The Personal View, it is the confirmation of structural change – a long-awaited new dawn has begun.
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