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The ridiculous thing is that there's no reason America has to be in decline right now except hubris. The idea that military superiority is the end-all-be-all o

The ridiculous thing is that there's no reason America has to be in decline right now except hubris. The idea that military superiority is the end-all-be-all of power, the idea that every American deserves to be richer than than the average Chinese, etc. We still have amazing natural resources and an amazing entrepreneurial can-do cultural attitude. The problem is too many resources devoted to skimming the cream at the top of the economy, decade after decade of ill-advised military waste, too much easy money in finance, too gullible of a pacified electorate ready and willing to vote against their interests at the siren song of two parties who claim to represent their values, but spend 95% of their time fundraising and earning it from the private interests who expect their ear. If as a country we got back to the basics of hard work and innovation and spent less time hand-wringing over our safety and global dominance, and making sure that the GDP is growing at all costs, then I think we'd be well positioned for the coming centuries of increased parity between countries. Insistence that we have to maintain the post-WWII imbalance that America enjoyed due entirely to a accidental confluence of events is foolhardy and will lead to bad decisions.

Zigurd 13y ago
Imagine if, instead of wars, PMCs, and MRAPs, those trillions had been spent on a thorium "moon shot" and creating a system of individualized education. We wasted the opportunity at the end of the Cold War.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
memracom 13y ago
Empire is built on the back of military power and political influence. America's military power is in decline, but more importantly, its political influence is tanking. So the end of empire is here. At this point it looks like Russia will be the next imperial world power although they are certainly doing it differently than other empires of the past. The Euro-Asian Union is likely to officially hold the crown but as we all know, the size of Russia will mean that it dominates in that Union. Of course, that empire too will run its course and I wonder if humanity can continue on the road paved by Russia. First, it was the Russian people who ended the Soviet Union and that was a remarkably peaceful event because Russians actually don't like wars. Next, the way that they are building the EAU as a partnership based on the model of the EU holds out some hope that it will be an empire that is less willing to throw its weight around globally. And finally, there has to be an end to empire. We humans have to learn how to share this planet under a different covenant than the one given to us by history. The EU is an example that all countries need to emulate, not by expanding the EU but by applying the EU principles in a broader more global way so that countries are no longer sovereign, but are subject to some sort of regional federation which mediates political and social affairs within and without the countries in the region.
- dasil003 13y ago
  The US hasn't been a traditional empire either though. I think it's arguable that American economic dominance came on the back of the military. After all, we never had governance of any of our imperial "territories". It's hard to tease apart the military and the industrial of the military-industrial complex, but I haven't seen compelling evidence that amazing run the US has had over the last century was primarily dependent on military power.
- treenyc 13y ago
  I am not big fan of US imperialism. However, if one examine the facts, it is unlikely that China and Russia/Europe will be the dominant force anytime soon. US still can dominates EVERYTHING if they really wanted to with their military, political and economic power. If you read The Oil Card: Global Economic Warfare in the 21st Century Jim Norman http://www.amazon.com/The-Oil-Card-Economic-Warfare/dp/097779539X http://www.amazon.com/The-Oil-Card-Economic-Warfare/dp/09777... A high oil price checkmates China (with its large population) but puts money in Putin’s coffers. Going back to the cold war one will see the fall of Soviet Union is engineered by suppression of Oil Prices during the cold war. After 1989 the Soviet reexamine, they agrees that it is cheap oil price that checkmated them. The trick now has a lot to do with strategy and game theory. I find that to be a bit depressing. As Dave Logan who wrote Tribal Leadership says: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." It would be nice to see the countries foster a kind of culture that will generate wealth for all, instead of devising game theory and strategy to out compete each other or different corporate factions. Healthy competition is a great instrument on small individual scale, it is idiosyncratic/inefficient on the country scale.

Zigurd 13y ago

Imagine if, instead of wars, PMCs, and MRAPs, those trillions had been spent on a thorium "moon shot" and creating a system of individualized education. We wasted the opportunity at the end of the Cold War.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

memracom 13y ago

Empire is built on the back of military power and political influence. America's military power is in decline, but more importantly, its political influence is tanking. So the end of empire is here. At this point it looks like Russia will be the next imperial world power although they are certainly doing it differently than other empires of the past. The Euro-Asian Union is likely to officially hold the crown but as we all know, the size of Russia will mean that it dominates in that Union. Of course, that empire too will run its course and I wonder if humanity can continue on the road paved by Russia. First, it was the Russian people who ended the Soviet Union and that was a remarkably peaceful event because Russians actually don't like wars. Next, the way that they are building the EAU as a partnership based on the model of the EU holds out some hope that it will be an empire that is less willing to throw its weight around globally. And finally, there has to be an end to empire. We humans have to learn how to share this planet under a different covenant than the one given to us by history. The EU is an example that all countries need to emulate, not by expanding the EU but by applying the EU principles in a broader more global way so that countries are no longer sovereign, but are subject to some sort of regional federation which mediates political and social affairs within and without the countries in the region.

dasil003 13y ago
The US hasn't been a traditional empire either though. I think it's arguable that American economic dominance came on the back of the military. After all, we never had governance of any of our imperial "territories". It's hard to tease apart the military and the industrial of the military-industrial complex, but I haven't seen compelling evidence that amazing run the US has had over the last century was primarily dependent on military power.
treenyc 13y ago
I am not big fan of US imperialism. However, if one examine the facts, it is unlikely that China and Russia/Europe will be the dominant force anytime soon. US still can dominates EVERYTHING if they really wanted to with their military, political and economic power. If you read The Oil Card: Global Economic Warfare in the 21st Century Jim Norman http://www.amazon.com/The-Oil-Card-Economic-Warfare/dp/097779539X http://www.amazon.com/The-Oil-Card-Economic-Warfare/dp/09777... A high oil price checkmates China (with its large population) but puts money in Putin’s coffers. Going back to the cold war one will see the fall of Soviet Union is engineered by suppression of Oil Prices during the cold war. After 1989 the Soviet reexamine, they agrees that it is cheap oil price that checkmated them. The trick now has a lot to do with strategy and game theory. I find that to be a bit depressing. As Dave Logan who wrote Tribal Leadership says: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." It would be nice to see the countries foster a kind of culture that will generate wealth for all, instead of devising game theory and strategy to out compete each other or different corporate factions. Healthy competition is a great instrument on small individual scale, it is idiosyncratic/inefficient on the country scale.