For reasons that readers of this column will certainly be aware of, the world seems consumed with Ukraine right now.
In the face of what one Chinese scholar recently called the most important conflict since World War II, other important issues have been falling off the radar, starting with what has the ominous appearance of a mounting crisis of COVID-19 infections in China itself, after two years of success in containing the virus.
The rest of the world is not standing still because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, of course, whatever appearance the headlines may give. Just beneath the surface, dramatic changes are taking place that will change region after region, or possibly even broadly affect life around the world in general.