The Next Empire

We've had empires the gently fade alway like Britain and those that suddenly keel over like the USSR. Currently Pax Americana rules the roost any thoughts on how America could loose the top slot and who would replace them?

 

China.
Still a growing / developing country, with huge ppopulation.

Maybe even India as well, for similar reasons.

What could topple the USA?
Economics.
Internal strife.
Incompetant Leadeship (no comments please!).

The biggy is probably economics. Especially their over-reliance on oil. Yes, they produce their own, but they still import a LOT.
Being too dependant on outside nations - especially ones who are becoming less friendly towards you - is always dangerous.

 

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It's the same for China, they too have to import nearly all their oil.

 

True, but they have not notably pissed off every Muslim nation in the world recently.
The sad fact is that the USA has managed to do this.

 

Come on Ricky! Don't blame the USA for the actions of a few power hungry presidents!

I agree on the economics being the root of downfall. Certainly the USA uses the most oil, but they also are responsible for a third of the world's GDP.

Perhaps the two go hand in hand in today's economies?

:smok:

 

Why not?

Sorry, I meant ask where I had implied that...

If it was over the USA making enemies in Muslim countries, well, it has been happening for a long while, and I doubt that your average fanatical nutter draws much distinction between G.W. Bush and John Doe.
'America' is the enemy. :roll:
I might not appreciate much in the way of American culture/whatever, but if I ever get that bad, you can let Danyel run me over in his beautifully restored Sherman. I'll even put a clause in my will arranging for somebody to clean my blood off it afterwards!

One reason for the phenomona that is the wide-spread 'dislike' of America (not merely among Muslim countries, that is for other reasons) could well be her Superpower status.
During the Cold War, we had 2 superpowers glaring at each other across the globe. Most nations sided with one or the other, and everyone was glad that 'their' Superpower was there to protect them from those evil Communists/Imperialists, who are out to take over the world.
Now there is only one Superpower (nobody ever bothers about China. Odd, isn't it?). Nobody needs protecting now, so everyone is becoming more & more wary & hostile towards the remaining one.

It's like bullies at school. If there are 2, the little kids will try & be friendly with one, for protection. If there is 1, the little kids will all be afraid of him.

 

Well, I say Luxembourg!

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/fac ... os/lu.html

 

I do not have a beautifully restored Sherman M4A1-4, Matilda Mk II, Panzer Mk III, or T-34/76 yet. But I do have a spent .50 calibre casing.

 

Well, thats a start. I have some spent cases too.

Edit: in order to save attachment space, I deleted that picture, you can find it from quiz-section:
http://www.forum.fun-online.sk/viewtopic.php?p=22558&sid=05932f78d5dd0b8818f2986f4a1bf204#22558

 

Believe me, there's many of us Americans who don't like what our "pop culture" has become. Stupid economic decisions, like refusing to drill for oil in the tundra of Alaska because a few deer might suffer while our dependence on foreign oil increases, might do it. But history teaches us it will be cultural rot (which is what our pop cultural epitimizes) that does it.

Good point about the bully syndrome, though I personally think we do less bullying than anyone else in our position has historically done.

 

Drilling for oil in Alaska would have solved nothing yet destroyed a fair bit of the natural life in the area. For the measly amount of unconfirmed oil that might be gained from that region, you would basically have to kill and remove everything there. No matter what some humans think, I believe that such abuse of open space for other species is wrong. Especially if there is a lot more oil to be found in say Texas, as Greg Pitts mentioned earlier; half the trouble and twice (or many, many more) times the profit.

Indeed, the US plays out its total world domination less than most other nations that have had such hegemony before. But its influence nonetheless is at least equal, because every one of its actions nowadays are globally felt; earlier super powers didn't have to deal with such a global economy as the one of which the US is the head. So in a way, the exertion of supreme power is different but still enormous.

 

There is more than one kind of bullying, Physical and mental.

As with superpowers you have physical and economic. The current debate about subsidies to aircraft manufacturers, will bring out some good points of view.

Modern developed countries cannot price goods competitively so subsidies are used. making poorer countries less competitive, hence keeping them poor.

 

FRIEND

Simple asnwer to cripple the US interupt the flow of oil and gas and call in their debts.result America stops because it is at this very moment the worlds BIGGEST debtor

 

Canada could shut down the Eastern seaboard, by shutting off the electricity, but why? Even with all of our differences we have too much in common to build upon.

 

Just to clarify - I was not equating the USA with bullies, just with a very powerful/strong individual. Which in a school is the bully.

 

No way Ricky. Bullies are the kids who don't know what they should, would, could or might do. They are the weaklings who hide their internal incertainty by calling others names. They are weak in every respect but appearance, and by just ignoring them you have outwitted them.

Please don't think I wrote this trying to describe the US; I was trying to describe the bully as I know it. As far as I know this description aplies only vaguely to the US, but still I think the metaphore is pretty correct.

I believe China will be the next super power, simply because they can conscript just about 400 million soldiers in an instant if they want to. Numbers really count at that scale, no quality can fight it anymore.

 

LOL - are we gonna spend ages defining bullies?
Bullies in my school days were the kids strong enough to command respect by brute force.
Which is scarily close to the definition of a Superpower!

It should be noted that China, after many years of fielding second-rate military equipment (old Soviet designs, plus the occaisional home-grown but not very advanced unit) is now catching up - with the help of the West!
Not only are we educating Thousands of Chinese students (we have several hundred studying Computing right here at Luton University!), we are also selling them military technology/equipment.

Is that entirely wise?
Or are we hoping to use these guys as UN enforcers, now the USA has its hands full?

 

Um, yes Ricky, I'm afraid we are going to spend time defining bullies...

What you are talking about is a physically strong kid. When you wrote about a 'strong individual' I was thinking more of a strong character, with an iron will and a good mind. That is exactly the opposite of a bully AFAIK. So there is the nature of our disagreement.

Yup, the Chinese are catching up. Fortunately their country is still divided, otherwise the world might get worried with reason...

 

Ok Roel - I merely meant kids with brute strength who generally use that strength to bully.

Right...

Since when has China been divided?
Surely good Communist states are not divided, they are united behind their glorious leader...?

 

The nation counts over 1.6 billion people. The government simply doesn't reach them all. Most of them can't read the pamflets or don't have the means to watch the state TV channel, because most of China lives in the countryside where opportunities are rare and progress is slow. These people really don't care about the international position of their country.