The World Structure and the Hidden Rule
This article presents a hypothesis about the current world order.
It may include mistakes, but I hope it helps readers see today’s conflicts more clearly.
A Hypothesis of the Game
The United States and China are now competing for the “king” position on this planet.
In my view, the two sides are not playing under the same rules.
- USA acts as if the world is a mixture of Chess and Othello: a contest of tactics, alliances, and local battles.
- China, however, seems to present the game as Othello, but in substance, it is closer to Go (囲碁): a long game of strategy and territorial influence.
If this hypothesis is correct, then over time China gains a structural advantage.
Because in strategy, as in Go, once you lose ground it is extremely hard to recover through tactics or local victories.
The Rule of Go
In Go, the game only ends when there is no empty space left on the board.
As long as blank areas remain, the game continues.
Applied to world politics:
- If there are “Third sides” in the world, the conflict between USA and China cannot be concluded.
The Third Side
- The USA side includes America and its allies.
- The China side includes BRICS.
- The Third sides today include the EU, ASEAN, African countries, and most of Latin America.
As long as these Third sides exist, the USA–China rivalry cannot reach a true endgame.
A Suggestion for the Third Side
This ongoing conflict is not only dangerous but also an opportunity.
Third sides can:
- Balance carefully between USA and China.
- Use the time gained from this balance to secure their own economic growth.
- Reduce global inequalities by turning the space of rivalry into a space of development.
In short:
The longer the board remains unfinished, the more chance the Third sides have to grow stronger.
Approaching the Third Side(ADD:2025/09/26)
Finally, it is important to note that the Third sides are not unitary actors but value-diverse entities. Approaching them through Chess-like bilateral tactics is unlikely to succeed, because their strength does not lie in isolated moves but in their ability to connect diverse values into a broader network. In this sense, a Go-like mindset is structurally more advantageous when engaging with such communities.