What, so "the contradictory tensions between waning states and globalisation is, over time, likely to lead to a major military crisis somewhere in the world" wasn't a wide enough umbrella for you? 🙂
In Australia I'll tell you what we hear about, for balance if you like. Basically China is trying to expand its territorial waters by building manmade islands in the South China Sea, an area ringed by US military bases. The goal is to control some of the world's most important shipping lanes.
China is Australia's largest trading partner for both imports and exports. But Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade now has a white paper out suggesting the US should commence a significant military build-up in the region to act as a counterweight to Chinese strategic ambitions. Meanwhile we have think-tanks publishing books that claim China has infiltrated many Australian institutions, and many Chinese migrants to Australia are sleeper agents.
This is the sort of thing that worries me, because there is no clearly articulated rationale for any of it—just an atmosphere of unease and a lot of decisions being made behind closed doors.
