@Al, you're right, i didn't take into account much the point the article was aiming for.
I do think that the Chinese-US relationship will become a vital world trade interaction, not that it isn't at present. Tough the Chinese are looking to expand their importance and economy in other ways - the formation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation with central Asian countries, and investment in African nations (I admit i don't know much about it, but this looks like a good resource http://www.chinaafricarealstory.com/ )
It may be a weakness of US foreign policy if it continues to rely entirely upon the Chinese to buy up dollars that make up the Chinese foreign reserve, especially when it comes to East Asia, but I think the US allies there will continue to hold their own importance in economic terms, and China also depends on the US trade connection for it's massive export economy - as such I think peace will reign for as long as the US-Chinese trade interaction remains one of the biggest, and most lucrative in the world.
Friend? I think China is in it for China's sake, and the US will have to respond to this opportunity as dictated by reality - what both sides can gain and what other options exist.
With Brazil's economy becoming large enough to do this: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1978963,00.html (U.S. agricultural policy.. perplexing $147.3 million–a-year handout to Brazilian agribusiness ) And The plans for a economic union among south american nations (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_American_Nations ) The largest trade relationships the US have will be with the EU (see recently announced free-trade deal) East Asia (including China) and the South American Union.
If we assume that nations with deeply important trade unions can't afford to go to war, then that leaves the SAU, NAFTA, the EU, and CIS/SCO (former soviet nations in Asia along with China) as the four economic areas with (2.4+, 15.6+, 16.4, 8.3+1.95, = at least 44.6 Trillion USD of a world total 77.2 Trillion - and i haven't added Mexico, Canada, most of south america, or most of the the Asian economies - but that is already 57% of the world economy)
This leaves the obvious problems being the middle cases, where will Japan sit along with Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, and the rest of south east Asia? Will they form their own union to prevent either Chinese or US dominance?
Will Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan join the EU or CIS block or remain independent?
Will the SAU manage to integrate and become a major world player? (currently the smallest of the four groups, and the poorest, thus potentially having the easiest time attaining 10s of % of GDP growth...) And will the Caribbean nations integrate with the US or SAU or push for closer relations with EU (which currently has a development agenda in the Caribbean...)
And what of India in my scheme? it's economy is currently only about half that of Brazil - while it's growth currently rivals China's - it is a democracy with massive issues with trade unions, wide spread poverty, internally 50 vying states, and it's own selection of nuclear weapons (which have themselves thus far prevented wars - no nuclear power has ever declared war on another...)
Finally all of this is without mention of OPEC, the middle east, Africa...
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FIFA and goal line technology
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