THE DIALECTICAL STREAM

" I am more afraid of my own blunders than of the enemy's devices."  "War is a violent teacher." - Thucydides Thucydides was an Athenian general who witnessed the 'Peloponnesian War' and took part in it to fight against the mighty Spartans, the same Spartans who under King Leonidas and his 300 men put up a valiant last stand against the Persian king Xerxes-I in year 480 BCE . Fifty years later, 'The Peloponnesian war' was fought around 431-404 BCE, between the two city-states - Sparta and Athens. The Athenians lost the war despite being wealthy and capable enough to win it. In words of Thucydides, the Athenians lost because they were too smart for their own good . The loss was so great and humiliating for the proud Greeks that it led Thucydides to write, "A History of Peloponnesian War", a book intended to educate the future generations on ' what not to do in a war '. The book is considered to be the first work of political scie

  "Let China sleep, for when she awakes, she will shake the world." - Napoleon Bonaparte, 1817 (While discussing China with Lord Armherst) In 2011, under President Obama, USA made a notable shift in its policy concerning Asia-Pacific. The 'Pivot to Asia', declared that an increased investment in economic and diplomatic efforts as well strengthening of alliance commitments with allies in the region - Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Phillipines was the most important task of American foreign policy in the coming decades. To understand what caused this sudden shift and awakening in the attitude of Washington, we need to have a look at some of the key historical events that shaped the way these two giants look at the world. United States of America - the land of manifest destiny. It is the most sought after piece of real estate in the world, albeit one that is not for taking. After the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991, US became the sole pole in the unipolar world order. It s