Khaled Mohamed
GVPT200
Polarity in Today’s World
Polarity throughout history has always been changing. The bipolarity during the Cold
War between the US and Russia, gave way to a unipolar shift, with the US at the helm. Presently,
there is doubt the United States still maintains a totality in the polarity of the world, especially
with the rapid rise of China. Although China might not be as economically or militarily
reinforced, it is boasting a large pool of resources and can be classified as a superpower
worldwide. The world as it is now is shifting again to a period of bipolarity, with these two
nations on either side.
Before discussing the polarity between these two nations, one must observe why Russia
no longer contends with these two. Russia was once a superpower, branded as the USSR, yet
almost 30 years after the Cold War and the collapse of the Russian economy, the country’s
economy pales in comparison to its greatest ally, being 8 times smaller than China (Roache,
2019). Russia’s current plan seems to be rather to chase headlines over substance in political
interactions. This is shown through examples such as Putin visiting Saudi Arabia and walking
away with a $3 billion-dollar deal, while Trump did the same and walked away with $300
billion-dollar deal. Another example is a deal made with Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s oil
company, in which they would invest in gas in Russia, yet hasn’t come to fruition. Even though
Russia may be among the wealthier countries worldwide, its alliance with the more formidable
China casts a great shadow over the country. The alliance itself is an affirmation of Russia
becoming a smaller player than it was prior, as China has more military and economic prowess,
this forces Russia to be the weaker of the two in the partnership, allowing China to be on the
forefront.
China’s economic feats have been impressive in the past 30 years. China has been
growing rapidly, and its growth seems to only compound on itself, considering its new
worldwide infrastructure projects, such as the one belt one road. China used Hong Kong,
Taiwan, and Macau’s colonial aspects as a segue into the world economy. When China was an
autarky, it was forced to rely on its own resources which helped establish a strong foundation for
the infrastructure of the country. Once it was stable, it began looking outwards, setting its eyes
on becoming the world’s biggest exporter, tempting foreign companies to use their cheap labor
as a base for making goods. Production isn’t an issue in China due to their massive population,
