Our human instinct， along with the chronicle of human history， advises us to take heed to seriously consider what a dilemma really is and what it truly means， especially if we embrace the inherent risks and drawbacks involved。 Dilemmas in geopolitics and global security matters are no less pivotal with several downstream implications that are poorly understood from the standpoint of today looking forward ten years。 Our ability to pinpoint what tomorrow brings in geostrategic terms is severely limited despite ongoing leadership hubris and pervasive expert assurances that few crises embedded in the future might surprise us。 To readily admit there are uncertainties， that estimates are best guesses， and that firm predictions cannot rule out unexpected anomalies is critical。 Few professional or armchair pundits would argue with the notion that often we just do not know what we do not know。 So it is with the decade after 2025 and the central challenge for nations such as the United States and China。 What is likely to happen—when and why？

We must note that dilemmas are generally defined as ‘。。。a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives， featuring most often equally undesirable ones with uncertain outcomes…’ This insightful definition equips us to conditionally set the stage for examining the presumptive geopolitical trajectory of China after 2025。 Why conditionally？ Most assuredly because we cannot fathom or estimate in 2024 all the unforeseen crises， wildcards and variables which could influence or trigger China’s leadership to act or refrain from doing so during the decade beginning in 2025。 This is also cloaked in the parallel assumption that the future geostrategic trajectory of the United States is both well-known and predictable。

The decade after 2025 will be of primary significance for China and its Chinese Communist Party （CCP） leadership team。 Numerous theories and assessments by experts and seasoned observers will be offered to explain this landmark decade for the CCP and filter into the analysis China’s fragmented and covertly conflicted population。 How many of its leaders want to retain an ironclad CCP control over all aspects of life in China for decades to come and can they do so？ Instead consider how many millions of Chinese citizens yearn instead during this new decade for a unique form of democratic revolt with Chinese characteristics starting right now？ So， a paramount dilemma for China， its leaders and its people is what dilemmas will unfold and manifest during the decade starting in 2025。 Dilemmas abound for the CCP and China itself。 One such dilemma is rooted in the military dimension of the CCP and the global security paradigm which China favors for itself。