As we lurch erratically and haphazardly toward a new world order that finally subsumes the dilapidated remnants of the Cold War era, here are the current players in the great game:
- SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 – what an incredible Cinderella story. This unknown virus, a mere 29,903 nucleotides, comes out of nowhere, to disrupt the entire planet and intensify the stress on existing fractures. The butterfly effect is now vividly illustrated by “a bat out of Wuhan”.
- Communist Party of China (CPC) – a rising Thucydidean power and sworn enemy of Winnie-the-Pooh, the CPC is emboldened by its virus response, but struggling to reconcile clumsy proclamations of victory with the stark reality of a worldwide pandemic. Can they resist ill-timed adventurism while the rest of the world is self-isolating?
- Federal Reserve – the most central of central bankers and global lender of last resort, the Federal Reserve is the sole supplier of this year’s gotta-have asset: $USD. But the Fed is on downgrade watch as they plumb the lower bound with a jackhammer and explore the interest rate sensitivity of viruses.
- NASDAQ – awkward arrivistes to the great game, as much to their own surprise as to traditional nation state actors, the west coast tech colossi have rallied to the virus challenge in a way that puts most other institutions to shame. Which is revelatory to the “break them up” mob.
- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) – more prize than player, TSMC’s process prowess is in some ways the pedestal upon which the technology industry is built. The company (located in as-yet-unreunited Taiwan) sits a tantalizing 100 miles off China, taunting the CPC with the fact that nanometer know-how is about the only thing they can’t buy or steal.
Did I miss any players?
Updates as warranted by changes in the game.
Note: Europe is presented in Standard Definition only on this map.
