Despite accounting for only one-eighth of the world’s population, the United States and Europe have long enjoyed economic dominance – accounting for half of global GDP – and disproportionate international influence. But, as new economic powerhouses rise, they will increasingly challenge the West, and not just for market share and resources; they will seek to infuse the global order with their own cultural understandings and frames of reference.
冲突的第三个潜在因素，是由不同社会独特的历史和制度体系所形成的根本性文化差异。尽管美国和欧洲人口只占世界的八分之一，但它们长期占据着经济主宰地位——GDP约占世界的一半——并拥有不成比例的国际影响力。但是，随着新经济强国的崛起，它们开始日益挑战西方，它们的目标不仅仅是市场份额和资源；它们还将寻求往全球秩序中注入它们自身的文化体系（或软实力）。