The Mythical "Post-American Era"
As anyone who reads my blog knows, I have been posting countless pieces that share the thesis of American decline. I, myself, partially subscibe to the notion that absent dramatic change, America will inexorably decline. However, this article challenges this growingly accepted thesis and does so pretty convincingly.
I would add to the following quote a key point that we should keep in mind, however. America MUST deal with its entitlement programs and mentality. That is the great threat to our nation. In fact of the three great challenges I see (WMD attack, Rise of China, domestic spending), it is the latter that is most enervating and leads to cultural decay. It is also the most difficult to attack due to a domestic political consensus that refuses to realistically examine the problem.
Here is a useful quote from the article.
"The intellectual fad in the first decade of the 21st century is a "power shift" and post-Americanism. The ground realities are that America's economic dominance will be challenged; however, there is no conclusive evidence that America's decline is "inevitable". Those who make a case for the ineluctable rise of China and India assume that such phenomena would also result in a similarly inexorable decline of the US. Such a description is more a product of the flight of imagination of some strategic thinkers than a reflection of facts as studied through a variety of indicators of economic, political, social and military prowess."
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