Xi is pursuing his dark ambitions for the world sooner than expected

Yesterday, Xi Jinping secured his precedent-breaking third term as the Communist Party's general secretary. He was also successful in packing the Politburo Standing Committee with loyalists and removing his predecessor, Hu Jintao, in dramatic fashion on Saturday. Xi looks, as many say, like China's dictator for life. The Chinese despot is pushing the region — and the world — toward war, and we are now far closer to conflict than many once thought. Xi's work report, which opened the party's 20th National Congress on Oct. 16 in Beijing, revealed his dark vision of the future. There are perilous times ahead…