That’s hard to know. It may be that the NK people, unlike the Iraqi people, really do think of their leaders as demigods, as they have been taught to since birth.
They have a long way to go in 10 short years. I seriously doubt that China is going to overtake the US in any of those metrics by 2020, but I guess we’ll see, ehe? I think this is another case of the same thinking people had towards Japan, or about the Soviet Union (before it went tits up).
Honestly, I don’t see how your example demonstrates what you are asserting. To me, the fact that US energy consumption is leveling off and China’s is rising has as much to do with efficiency (or the lack there of in China) as it does with the fact that China is still in the early stages of growth, while the US has been an industrial superpower for over a century.
Even if you are correct, and China becomes the preeminent manufacturing power, I don’t see how this confirms the other metrics you were asserting there. Militarily they are a second rate power, and they aren’t spending the money they would need to in order to overtake the US in a single decade…in fact, the US is still pulling ahead that this stage. Most resources? I don’t see how that is possible. Most oil? Even leaving aside the fact that the US will probably be moving away from oil by 2020, I don’t see this as a probable outcome.
And all of this assumes that China won’t hit any road blocks or disconnects in the next decade, which, given their political system and even their economic system, and how many compromises they are making (let alone all the other trade offs they are making to simply get to the point they are today)…well, I honestly don’t see how anyone could reasonably predict where they will be in a decade, but I will be very surprised if they manage to completely overtake and supplant the US by 2020. Maybe by 2050, if they don’t hit any serious pot holes (or have a revolution or something)…but 2020?
-XT
I guess we’ll only know for sure in hindsight.
My view is that the North has oversold the propaganda.
We’ve become a near-invincable boogieman in their eyes.
Panic ensues thereby.
China will no doubt follow the same policy that Russia does. They’re not attacking North Korea nor are they doing anything to bring down the current regime. It’s better for Russia, and of course for China, that there be no instability on their common border with North Korea. South Korea has no intention to attack North Korea. To the contrary, the government here is committed to peaceful reunification.
Yeah, it’s kind of odd.
By North Korean propoganda;
They are one of the most advanced and prosperous states in the world, widely respected and admired.
But they’re under seige by the “criminal” United States.
People aren’t even allowed to enjoy the beaches, because they’re under threat from American frogmen and spies. Right on their own beaches!!!
They’re not allowed to watch foreign media or travel outside of the country.
Doing so is ‘treason’.
They get much of their food from those same ‘criminal’ nations, which tends to give the lie to how much better off they are than other nations.
The whole currency “reform” went so badly that they had to scapegoat and then execute their Finance Minister to molify public outrage. Simply unheard of in a nation so tightly controlled.
The whole thing is one big game of lies and self-oppression, which isn’t going to end well.