China, too, is in decline, with a population aging at a faster rate than America’s (it is shrinking, actually) and with its complex economy directed by Marxist-Leninist ideologues. Because all three great powers—Russia, China, and the United States—are in decline, though in different ways and at different rates, it may be that the United States, which maintains the capacity for democratic renewal, has a comparative advantage over the two authoritarian powers, despite its soaring deficit.
