Where does the infrastructure go, and what follows it?

Cables, payment rails, ports and processing plants travel farther than the headlines about them. From Venezuela to Djibouti to the Arctic, these pieces follow the infrastructure first and the politics after.

13pieces

23551words of analysis

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13 pieces, in the order they were written

Each dot is one piece, placed on its publication date. The path below walks through the ones to read first.

1 of 5 · The Pacific Divide · Sep 4, 2025

The iFlytek Factor: How China's AI Deal Just Changed the US-Venezuela Standoff

How Venezuela Just Gave China an AI Beachhead

Read on The Pacific Divide

2 of 5 · The Pacific Divide · Jan 3, 2026

China Was in Venezuela Ten Hours Before

Read on The Pacific Divide

3 of 5 · The Pacific Divide · Dec 30, 2025

I Found the $24 Trillion America Can't See

China built the payment rails while we sanctioned the chips

Read on The Pacific Divide

4 of 5 · The Pacific Divide · Apr 13, 2026

China Built a Submarine Cable to Africa. Then It Built a Military Base Next to It.

Ten submarine cables land on Djibouti's shore, making it one of the primary corridors for East Africa's internet traffic to Europe and the Middle East.

Read on The Pacific Divide

5 of 5 · The Pacific Divide · Jun 23, 2026

China Doesn't Control Rare Earths. It Controls Everything That Turns Them Into Products.

How a seven-layer architecture filed across government documents reveals a chokehold that $7.3 billion can't break.

Read on The Pacific Divide

Everything on this question

Jun 23, 2026China Doesn't Control Rare Earths. It Controls Everything That Turns Them Into Products.SubscribersHow a seven-layer architecture filed across government documents reveals a chokehold that $7.3 billion can't break.The Pacific Divide

Apr 28, 2026Two MapsSubscribersA China BriefThe Pacific Divide

Apr 13, 2026China Built a Submarine Cable to Africa. Then It Built a Military Base Next to It.SubscribersTen submarine cables land on Djibouti's shore, making it one of the primary corridors for East Africa's internet traffic to Europe and the Middle East.The Pacific Divide

Apr 3, 2026What the Iran War Revealed About the Systems We Depend OnSubscribersThe Pacific Divide

Jan 30, 2026While America Counted Allies, China Wired the WorldSubscribersThe Pacific Divide

Jan 13, 2026Three Ways to Claim the ArcticSubscribersChina Has No Arctic Territory. America Has No Arctic Strategy.The Pacific Divide

Jan 9, 2026China Lost Venezuela.SubscribersHere's What Their Brazil Documents Reveal About Plan B.The Pacific Divide

Jan 3, 2026China Was in Venezuela Ten Hours BeforeSubscribersThe Pacific Divide

Dec 30, 2025I Found the $24 Trillion America Can't SeeSubscribersChina built the payment rails while we sanctioned the chipsThe Pacific Divide

Sep 5, 2025Salting the EarthSubscribersHow Salt Typhoon Exposed the Scorched Infrastructure of Global SurveillanceThe Pacific Divide

Sep 4, 2025The iFlytek Factor: How China's AI Deal Just Changed the US-Venezuela StandoffSubscribersHow Venezuela Just Gave China an AI BeachheadThe Pacific Divide

Sep 3, 2025The Hidden ArsenalSubscribersChina's Military Footprint in Venezuela and the Current CrisisThe Pacific Divide

Jun 24, 2025The Iran SignalSubscribersHow China's AI Diplomacy Reveals AGI ProximityThe Pacific Divide