dà guó大国shuāi luò衰落yǔ与quán qiú全球guān jiàn diǎn关键点de的zhēng duó争夺
This article discusses how a great power's loss of economic, technological, and rule-making leadership affects the world.
The article says that when a great power is no longer strong, it may stop maintaining the international order it established and instead influence other countries by controlling important transportation and resource hubs, such as canals, ports, and key resources.
In this way, a great power does not need to directly occupy other countries; by controlling these key points, it can make other countries dependent on itself.
The article uses South America as an example, showing that countries like Brazil, Chile, and Bolivia, because of their important resources and transportation locations, become focal points of great power competition.
For example, Bolivia has abundant lithium resources but no coastline, making it easily influenced.
Chile and Brazil, due to their extensive trade with China, also attract the attention of great powers.
The article concludes that current international relations are not smoothly evolving into multipolarity, but rather great powers are using 'choke points' to prevent other countries from becoming strong.
Only when more countries cooperate to build more transportation and resource channels can dependence on great powers be reduced and their own interests protected.