National Intelligence Council predicts end of U.S. dominance

[Dumbguy]

Being a world power is overrated. I’m willing to be Spain if it means we can take every August off.

[BrainGlutton]

@Lust4Life

iremember a few years ago predictions that Brazil would become a global superpower,overtaking the West.
Still hasn’t happened.

L. Sprague de Camp’s Viagens Interplanatarias stories are set in world where that has happened.

[Shagnasty]

@BrainGlutton

Eh? Who predicted that?

How old are you again? The Japanese taking control of American financial interests was a common theme among news and popular media including movies in the mid-1980’s. It started to happen in real life and then failed. We were told that the Japanese were smarter than us and they worked much harder (how that is possible I don’t know) but it just went poof one day. That is why the 30+ something set is skeptical.

[BrainGlutton]

@Shagnasty

How old are you again? The Japanese taking control of American financial interests was a common theme among news and popular media including movies in the mid-1980’s. It started to happen in real life and then failed. We were told that the Japanese were smarter than us and they worked much harder (how that is possible I don’t know) but it just went poof one day. That is why the 30+ something set is skeptical.

Oh, I remember all that, all right. But I don’t recall anyone seriously predicting Japan would rule the world.

[msmith537]

@sinical_brit

End of US dominance? I think this is the beginning of the end for the USA.

Everything you hold dear is evaporating before your eyes:

Your democratic process was shown to be a sham in 2000.
A feeling of security due to geographical location, was flushed away in sept 2001.
Iraq demonstrated that your great elected leaders and once noble media, conspired to lie to you about the most serious of issues.
Liberty, freedom and the need for due process went out the window with Guantanimo / rendition.
Your use of torture took away the moral high ground you thought you occupied.
The banking crisis has shown that freemarket / capitalist ideal that drives your economy is nothing more that a mirage. Non of your power elite either understand or can fix it.

By the time your economy had recovered from the housing, banking and credit crisis, it will all be too late. China will be top dog economically, Iran / Syria will be the power brokers in the M.E. Europe will be looking east , not west.

You will still have your millitary, and you will maintain it regardless of your economy - think USSR in the 80s. But your economy is going to be screwed for a decade or two to come. I think the next step for the US is to use some sort of ‘modern’ nuke against someone in the next 5 years, as a dick swinging exercise. Its all you will have left.

You made a castle built on sand. Nice try but its over. New versions of govement will rise - like Chinas curious mix of capitalism and communism. They will then try to project their world view around the place - like the US has done ( ‘if you arnt with us, youre against us’ etc ). It wont work either.

BTW i think that Britain is just as fct, but we are now well used to our diminishing power on the world stage. Why do you think we need to renew Trident?

Its all we have left too !

Our democratic process just elected the first Black president when 40 years ago they could barely vote.
Sept 11th wasn’t the first time the US has been attacked and it probably won’t be the last.
Bush wasn’t the first elected official to lie. (He has just been the stupidest to date.)
This is not the first economic crisis the US has suffered, nor will it be the last. Like every crisis, we will get over it.

I have been hearing dire predictions about the end of the USA for over 30 years. There will always be some crisis or conflict or some problem to deal with, just as there has been for the past 200 years. I’m not interested in hearing the ramblings and musings of counter-culture losers sitting in a pub or coffee shop somewhere talking about subjects they really don’t know anything about. I’m more interested in listening to the people who think of ways to compete in the changing world.

I’m not an Obama groupie or anything, but I’m curious to see how the country does with an intelligent, well educated, thoughtful President instead of a spoiled rich kid frat-boy moron.

[RickJay]

@BrainGlutton

L. Sprague de Camp’s Viagens Interplanatarias stories are set in world where that has happened.

That’s very interesting but doesn’t seem to add a lot to a discussion that seems to be primarily concerned with the real world.