Last week, I saw this very interesting video by Prof. Jang. Here is a summary about AI:
Jiang Xueqin (Prof. Jiang Xueqin, a Canadian-Chinese educator and analyst known for his historically and game-theoretically based predictions) outlined his predictions for 2026 in a detailed conversation with Glenn Diesen (Greater Eurasia Podcast) in early January 2026. The video is titled “Predictions for 2026 – Empire, Rivalry & Collapse.”
Central thesis
2026 will be a year of extreme rivalry between major powers, in which the American empire will desperately attempt to save its hegemony – but at the high risk of accelerating its collapse (both economically and domestically).
The major issues & predictions for 2026
US-China as THE decisive duel
→ April 2026: Trump's state visit to China → Attempt at a major “grand bargain”
→ Goal from the US perspective: Keep China buying US government bonds, stabilize the dollar, gain time
→ Jiang sees this as a very likely scenario – a temporary truce that only postpones the inevitable larger conflict
Return of the Monroe Doctrine – Latin America as a battleground
→ Massive US intervention in Venezuela (and beyond)
→ Goal: Cut off China's access to raw materials (oil, lithium, etc.) in the Western Hemisphere
→ Latin America becomes a testing ground for neo-imperial US control
Economic crises & bubble bursts
→ Massive risk of an AI bubble bursting (huge infrastructure costs vs. disappointing returns)
→ Potential squeeze on physical silver due to Asian industrial demand
→ General intensification of economic competition → Harbinger of a major global financial/economic crash
Europe & Ukraine as pawns
→ Trump considers Europe/NATO a burden
→ Significant reduction in support for Ukraine very likely
→ Consequence: massive weakening of EU/NATO structures, possibly leading to disintegration
Endgame: Iran
→ The Trump administration's real “big goal”
→ Attempt at regime change in Iran (possibly with direct military action)
→ Prerequisite: China issue must be “resolved” beforehand (which is why the April summit is so important)
→ Russia is likely to provide massive support to Iran → Enormous risk of escalation
Internal destabilization of the West
→ Increasing polarization, possible civil war-like conditions in the US
→ “Micro-militarism”: The empire becomes aggressive externally because it is becoming increasingly weaker internally
→ Europe threatens to erode further economically and politically
Jiang's overall assessment
The year 2026 will not be a “normal” year. Rather, it will mark the beginning of a very turbulent transition phase in which the old US-centered empire will try to preserve the status quo by any means necessary (economic warfare, interventions, blackmail) – but in doing so will only accelerate its own decline. Whether this will lead to a real “great war” depends largely on whether the China deal in April holds or fails.
