In today’s world others are not as willing as they once were to tolerate the sort of overt aggression that took place during the days when Nazis and Communists were running amok, forcing aggressor nations to find subtler ways of taking over their neighbors.

Thus, though Moscow might like to rebuild the empire that collapsed along with the Soviet Union it is encountering more pushback than perhaps expected when it retook Crimea and essentially occupied eastern Ukraine. Sanctions and condemnation may have proved too little and far too late for Crimea and eastern Ukraine, but one has to think that Moscow will think twice before going after more of its neighbors.

Watching all this, the ever-inventive Chinese leadership in Beijing seem to have come up with new and intriguing ways of expanding their sway in Asia. Failing in various attempts to claim islands that aren’t theirs, they simply decided to build their own astride sea lanes to which they have no legal, moral or other claim, declare them Chinese territory and provision them with hardware and troops to “protect” them.

The West and China’s neighbors were initially flummoxed but are beginning to come together to let Beijing know that they are prepared to push back and are refusing to recognize their attempt to exercise control over traditionally free sea lanes.

But Beijing has other cards up its sleeve. With a growing economy and plenty of cash, China’s rulers are morphing into the international equivalent of predatory mortgage lenders; providing funds to high-risk borrowers knowing they will never be able to repay.

That is precisely how Beijing recently acquired a 99-year lease on a strategic port and chunk of land in Sri Lanka.