Dalliance between China and Russia bad for West

There seems to be some eeriness associated with years that end with '8', and 2018 is one of them. France lost it in Algeria in 1958, giving the Soviets an entry point in Guinea. There were socio-political upheavals in the United States and France in 1968. In France, there are signs of the upheaval's repeat in 2018.

As two popes and Jomo Kenyatta in Kenya died in 1978, there was a big governance transition with Deng Xiaoping mounting “opening up” and economic “reforms”. China is making a big issue, in 2018, of celebrating Deng’s initiative with Chinese Characteristics for a new Xi Jinping Era of global assertiveness. Xi is not the only assertive leader. He is joined by Donald Trump of the United States and Russia’s Vladmir Putin in what looks like a geopolitical dance of three self-assured and dominant men.