NEW DELHI: What turns rivalry into war? History suggests it is rarely ideology or ambition alone. More often, it is fear, miscalculation and the inability of old systems to manage new power equations.
As the second quarter of the 21st century begins, the United States and China are locked in a rivalry defined not by open conflict, but by tariffs, technology controls and growing military competition in a new arena. Neither side wants war. Yet neither fully trusts the other. That combination has appeared before with devastating results. History frequently rhymes with an eerie cadence, but it rarely repeats itself precisely. When it does, the pattern is unsettling.
