Why a Bipolar World Is More Likely Than a Unipolar or Multipolar One

In periods of the 19th and 20th centuries, the UK and US maintained absolute dominance in a unipolar world, which was why they were called "British century" and "American century." Based on this, predictions of a so-called "Chinese century" must meet two preconditions--a unipolar international configuration and absolute Chinese dominance. It is a matter of guesswork whether or not these two preconditions will be met in the remaining 85 years of the 21st century. But the present-day world is heading toward a bipolar pattern featuring China and the US.