Here is a link to my 65th column on Quartz: “An economist explains why the key to a free world lies with China.” This is my July 4th column, arriving a little early. 

Update: Don’t miss the robust discussion in the comments below. I make some important clarifications there. Also, there is an interesting set of comments here on Facebook with a reply from me. 

Update July 9, 2015: On the military technology dimensions, John L. Davidson tweeted a link to this interesting article on the important work on unmanned submarines.