Zack, Jenn, and Alex break down one of the DC foreign policy world’s hottest new catchphrases: “great power competition.” It’s the idea that international politics in the 21st century will be dominated by a struggle for influence between the US, China, and (to a lesser extent) Russia. The gang talks about what the concept actually means and whether it’s a useful framework for understanding international politics today and in the future.

References:

Dan Nexon’s Foreign Affairs article inspired the Worldly crew to record this episode.

The Atlantic had an excellent piece explaining how “great power competition” became a DC buzzword.

The National Interest had an op-ed detailing why great power competition could be a problem.

Matthew Kroenig wrote in Foreign Policy on how the US should outline goals for its competition with China.

The Congressional Research Service has a comprehensive report on what “great power competition” has meant in recent years.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

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