I think the useful model for this is that currently there's a competition between the naval powers and the land powers, which is rapidly heating up. (Due to the

I think the useful model for this is that currently there's a competition between the naval powers and the land powers, which is rapidly heating up. (Due to the last decades of very high rate of economic growth of China.) https://youtu.be/YcVSgYz5SJ8?t=7765 https://youtu.be/YcVSgYz5SJ8?t=7765 Maritime order (basically a trade alliance, if you join you have more chance to influence it, win-win) and the continental order (buffer zone, extractive/authoritarian, negative-sum). Of course as the competition is getting fierce one seems to borrow from the other. (Russia is funding itself and its war from trade. And China sold market access in exchange for technology.) And the US is now transitioning from soft-power to pay up or you are out. (Balance of trade, NATO contributions, etc.)