Bruno Maçães, former secretary of state for European affairs in Portugal, is someone who likes to reflect. Scroll through his Twitter feed, and you will find his takes on everything from crypto currency to China to complaints about conference fatigue. His most recent book Geopolitics for the End Time brings together many of these reflections in one volume, and gives Maçães’ views on how global geopolitics will have rearranged themselves post Covid-19.    Forecasting the future Maçães envisions a post-Covid world in which the West has weakened itself, and China has come out tops. Among his core concerns is the vacuum in central Asia after the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan; he believes this will pave the way for China to complete its Belt and Road Initiative, drawing the Taliban regime into its ever-expanding sphere.  His fears are slowly but surely being realised. Taliban officials have struck a series of agreements with the Chinese Communist Party concerning infrastructure...