NOTNeither China nor the United States participate in it, and yet the war in Ukraine will determine for a long time the turn that the rivalry between the two superpowers will take. Just as the First World War precipitated the collapse of four empires – those of the Habsburgs, the Hohenzollerns, the Tsars and the Ottomans – Russia’s aggression against Ukraine will profoundly reshape the geopolitical map of the world. . After a month of fighting, it appears that the conflict is off to a bad start for Vladimir Putin, whose blitzkrieg attempt has failed. And, consequently, it is also for Xi Jinping, who made the mistake of betting the prestige and power of his country on the despot of the Kremlin. A short-sighted calculation, which risks coming back to him like a boomerang…
