Issue 1, 2022 

The New Intermediate Zone of the Post-American Century

Contents

▍Overseas

Can “Epidemic Economics” Revive the “American Dream”? Yu Chunhai  Zhang Kaili

“Connectivity Wars”？ Xie Yiran

▍Focus

The Beijing Winter Olympic Games in the Era of Global Change Long Way  Foundation

While the world is experiencing a great transformation, the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games has its own significance. From the perspective of the international order, the Beijing Olympic Winter Games will bring the world together in the spirits of peace, friendship and solidarity. In terms of domestic development, the Beijing Olympic Winter Games will strengthen the national spirit, promote economic and social development; at the same time, China could take the opportunity to consolidate the construction of  Leading Sports Nation. More importantly, the Leading Sports Nation needs to be built on a nation’s political tradition and social structure.

▍Cover Story: The New Intermediate Zones in the Post-American Era

The “New Intermediate Zones” after Hegemony  Kang Jie

The post-Cold War era, characterized by the “unipolar moment” of the United States, has come to an end. In the hinterland of Eurasia, the strategic contraction of the United States has created a post-hegemonic intermediate zone. Previous years witnessed an increase in strategic autonomy and the opportunism of some middle powers in the US’s alliance. These middle powers, most notably Turkey and Poland, became increasingly aggressive in reviving historical spheres of influence. The revival ambitions of the middle powers challenged the cohesion and political values of the West and intensified the geopolitical competitions  in the intermediate zone.

The United States and the Taliban: Who Can Transform Afghanistan?  Qian Xuemei

Why Iran Can Withstand the Extreme Pressure by the United States? Wu Bingbing

The Military-dominated Model’s Return to the Middle East: Response to a New Round of Nation Building Crisis Duan Jiuzhou

This article categorizes three models of nation building in the Middle East region: independence war and military-dominated model represented by Turkey, Egypt and Algeria, unification war and religion-dominated model adopted by post-revolution Iran and Saudi Arabia, colonial legacy and ruling coalition model of Syria, Iraq, Kuwait and UAE. The first two models are the mainstream therapy, as the third one relies on fractured tribe and business group which lack the mobilization ability to support national unity. In the recent round of nation building crisis, the military-dominated model prevails as a forceful way to prevent potential unrest and political challenge.

▍Opinion

Democracy in the West and Democracy in the East Wang Shaoguang

▍Feature: Labor in the Digital Times   

The Urgancy of Labor: The De-skilling of Gig Economy in the Service Industry Chen Long, Zhao Lei

With the popularization of unmanned delivery, the role of take-away riders in delivery is getting smaller than before. On one hand, some blue-collar skills are eroded by automation; on the other hand, the new skills needed for the intelligent trend cannot be directly developed from existed jobs. The new jobs created by unmanned delivery require skills beyond the ability of current take-away riders. The joint effort of individuals, platform enterprises, governments and communities is essential to cultivate take-away riders into “new blue-collar workers” favored by the platform in the future.

Is Platform an Employer or Not?—New Thinking on Resolving the Paradox of Platform Labor Xu Ke

Enterprise, Market or Society?—How does the Legal System Respond to Technological System Hu Ling

This article discusses how the legal system responds to technological system in an abstract way, trying to understand the technological system as a mature mode of production. Mobility of productive resources and infrastructure in the digital market is core to digital economy and can help to understand how the new type of employment and labor happen. The legal system has responded to technological system according to the market logic rather than that of platform company. Considering the digital platform has shaped both market and society, we need to bring the societal perspective to legal discussions.

▍Historical View 

A Failed Political Inheritance—Remembering the 30th Anniversary of the Disintegration of the USSR Fang Ning

▍Rethinking the US Model 

The American System: The Rise and Divergence of a Manufacturing Empire Yan Peng

The American System means the thought and policy practice of American economic protectionism in the 19th century; the manufacturing mode with mass production system that led to the rise of American manufacturing. After 1945, the US chose a global institutional arrangement in line with its hegemonic interest, which contributed to the accelerated diffusion of the American system in the process of globalization, yet in turn, eroded its manufacturing foundation. But the strategy of manufacturing and the culture have driven the US to revive manufacturing in a traditional way. The contradiction is an important source of current global political and economic tensions.

How does the US Fall into the Cyclical Law of Financialization Sun Xi, He Xijie, Li Ming

▍Academic Review 

The US’s “Frontier” and its Closure Zheng Fan