The heavy Red Flag, a Chinese presidential armored limo, drove slowly on the gravel driveway towards the entrance of the early 20th century Filoli Historic House. A villa with 56 rooms and 16 acres of gardens, built in 1917, 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Francisco, served as the leisure home of William Bowers Bourn II, son of the early American capitalist who ran and controlled an empire of gold mines, plus the San Francisco Gas Company. Under the arcade of the entrance to the Villa stood Joe Biden, the 46th president of the U.S., now the host of the prestigious villa donated in 1975 to the public.

From the heavy wooden door over three flights of stairs ran the red carpet. At the end of it, perhaps 20 feet into the gravel driveway, stood an upright marine in his solemn uniform. The Chinese limo made a curve, trying to stop at the height of the red carpet. Whether because of an unskilled driver or the awkward maneuverability of the Chinese Beast(the name of the American presidential armored car the Chinese tried to copy), the marine suddenly jumped back, avoiding in one breath being crushed by the heavy limo. The arrival of the encounter between the father and the prodigal son of state capitalism, both leaders of the two most powerful nations on the planet, could flare into a disaster even before the Chinese president managed to get out of the Red Flag and set his foot on the red carpet. On second thought, the cause of the alleged accident was the wrong position of the proud marine, who was standing at the very edge of the red carpet, perhaps trying to force the Chinese president to step out with his shiny shoes onto the dusty gravel before he could reach the safe red carpet. Without explaining the symbolic value of the red carpet in political discourse, watching this first image/sequence of the new film in American-Chinese co-production, I dare to conclude that the choreography of the first instant encounter was tight. The Red Flag never invaded the red carpet, the noninjured proud marine, wearing gloves opened its back door, this time correctly as requested by the Chinese protocol. Xi Jinping stepped onto the American ground, and Biden descended the red carpet halfway. When, after a short handshake both presidents walked back towards the stairs that led to the arched entrance of the villa, one could hear a hard metal sound; slamming the back door of the Red Flag had all the flavor of the planned socialist economy, missing the sophistication of western high-tech manufacture. This differentiation between, let’s say the Red Flag and the Beast, stood out again when the two delegations sat down at the negotiating table. Watching the American side, the technology prevailed in their notebooks, while the Chinese side, above all the new Great Helmsman, was flipping through the middle school type of handbook, where his talking points were handwritten in big Chinese characters. 

The talks lasted for hours. Much too long to be treated entirely with the method of Yonder. But this first detail of the encounter of the two leaders Maximus showed how little is needed to trigger a banal event into a limitless escalation and major conflict. Even when leaders, liberated of their numerous staff and security, take a walk away from mics and any eavesdropping devices, their steps are full of traps and double senses. First, are we sure that Biden and Xi Jinping could exchange their views in absolute privacy, which could possibly define the framework, a red line to prevent an irreversible war conflict? Creating a code word to be used in critical time after the two sides decided to reopen the military and therefore intelligence communications? Are we sure this is still possible? Were the two presidents talking about Putin, putting him aside from the negotiating table of the two and only superpowers, that is, China and America? Have they talked, acknowledging what we know since February 2022, that Putin attacked Ukraine to bring Russia back to the negotiable table of the two superpowers? A little romantic walk in the gardens of Filoli House, out of the eyes of the world? What did Xi Jinping mean by saying the world is big enough for two superpowers? And were Biden’s words the cover-up of the same, when off the mics but loud enough to be heard, he said that Xi is an Asian dictator? A ballet of words of the two leaders trying to conceal domestic problems both countries have when showing their muscles?     

Since my last publication on this site, time has passed and rivers have flown; for reasons not relevant to this writing, I interrupted publishing Yonder for a while. But the ideas were there and now returning to regular publishing, the mission of Yonder will remain unchanged. What did change though, is the world. In some of the previous postings, Yonder captured changes coming from the vast and distant horizon. 

Even a year ago, the global situation was already complex and worrisome. Today we are living on the edge of a major war that will go beyond the destruction of Ukraine and massacres in the Middle East. Starting with Hamas’s brutal attack, followed by Israel’s horrific vengeance, leading to the annihilation of Gaza, killing by killing thousands of Palestinians, innocent bystanders, and babies even. For decades the victims of the current were stranded in Gaza, a prison under the open air, until it became obvious that the two-state solution of Israel was a dystopia. It was a tipping point that turned  Hamas into a merciless terrorist force that in October spilled and in a few hours massacred 1400 Israelis living in the settlements surrounding Gaza. It was one of the most brutal attacks in human history, and Hamas after much of the killing retreated with more than 200 hostages. Just a few days later Israel retaliated with the same brutality, killing not only Hamas fighters but bombing the entire Gaza population, including hundreds of babies. The raging war agitates Egypt and Jordan but above all Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel’s wiping of Gaza echoes around the world in massive protests, increasing the polarization between the different ethnic populations. The world is torn apart, without a solution that could replace the obsolete unipolar order dominated by the U.S., no longer capable of leading and dominating. It is logical that the revolt and uproar against the U.S. around the world is parallel with the decay of America. 

When, in 2021, Joe Biden started to govern America which was already suffering political debacles, the 46th president seemed to be aware that his administration needed to obtain a more decisive role in strategic fields like infrastructure, research, and technology. At that time 78-year-old Biden was lucid enough to pivot America to compete with China in the fields where America was trailing. It is now the impression that America lost its focus on getting ready to compete in the fields where America is lagging behind China. Awkwardly executed, the infamous retreat from Afghanistan was part of the same strategy. The White House knew it needed to focus on the future confrontation with China. It did not happen. When Putin attacked Ukraine, for which the Russian despot had his own reasons and motives, America got involved in the dog fight with Russia. In old times this kind of acting was called overstretching. When the Chinese threatened to invade the island, America loudly supported Taiwan exposing itself by increasing military supplies to the island. Washington is now holding back Israel which uses American weapons to kill thousands of Palestinians. With Ukraine losing the war with Russia despite the massive military support of the U.S., America is growing short of military supply for its own needs. In military terms, America is overstretched. Without focusing on that point, some of the strategists are foretelling dark times for the big part of the world including the U.S. So, what was the seven-hour-long meeting between Biden and Xi in the splendid villa all about? Nothing else but postponing the solution; gerontocracy giving themself more time. Justly so, if one sees who is standing in line to replace the old with the new, especially among the American extreme right, then one could call:  Avanti fratelli Cinesi.That is what climate change is all about.