The Age of Unlearning: How Democracies Lost Their Grip on Strategic Time

The United States has weakened its strategic capabilities by prioritizing short-term political gains over long-term statecraft, evidenced by cuts to key national security institutions. This erosion of foresight is an existential liability for Western democracies, which are trading away the tools for enduring strategy. In contrast, China employs a long-term method, integrating economic, military, and technological planning over decades. This approach has yielded significant results in military modernization, technological self-reliance in areas like semiconductors, and a dominant position in the global clean energy market.