Are we living in a fool’s paradise? While we fixate on petty nothings, a vision of another world is coalescing. We may not even realise that world is here until it is too late.
China ready for war as Xi visits army
Fearsome: China now acquires weapons systems five times faster than the United States. American Admiral John Aquilino has described this military expansion as “the most extensive and rapid buildup since World War II.” Glossary
Aboriginal - Indigenous or existing in a land before the arrival of colonisers.
Tragicomic - Something that is both sad and funny.
Kazan - An industrial city in Russia's west. It is the capital of the Tatar Autonomous Republic.
BRICS - Short for the five largest emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. However, the group has recently expanded and now includes countries that are not in the acronym, such as Egypt and the UAE.
Narendra Modi - The prime minister of India. He inspires passionate support from many in his country, but his critics regard him as populist, anti-Muslim and authoritarian.
Xi Jinping - The president of China, who has concentrated power and removed term limits allowing him to serve for life.
Nuclear fusion - A potential means of generating nuclear power by combining two atoms to produce a new atom as well as a large amount of energy. It mimics the way in which stars produce energy.
Taiwan Strait - Part of the South China Sea, separating Taiwan from mainland China.
Arsenal - Collection of weapons.
Ally - A person or group that cooperates with or supports another for a common purpose.
Global South - A term increasingly used to describe less-developed countries, most of which are south of a line that separates, on different continents, the USA from Mexico, Europe from Africa, and Russia from central Asia and China.
Sovereignty - The authority of a state to govern itself, or sometimes another state.
Oppress - Crush somebody's spirits and freedoms with power.
Nile River - The longest river in Africa, flowing into the Mediterranean Sea.
Basket cases - A country or organisation that has severe financial difficulties.