The Peril of Peaking Powers: Economic Slowdowns and Implications for China’s Next Decade

Summary

If a rising power is profiting from the existing order, why would it disrupt that progress with reckless expansion? One reason is slowing economic growth. Over the past 150 years, peaking powers have been the most dangerous kind of country. An extended period of rapid growth equipped them with the means to shake up the world, and then a protracted growth slowdown motivated them to move aggressively to try to rekindle their rise.