The Rise and Fall of the American Empire

[Cartoonist]

Despite the oft stated admonition to remember history or it will repeat itself, it keeps on repeating itself just the same. Rome, Spain, Britain, all once held great influence over the world. They all eventually collapsed. I believe we are now seeing the decline of America and the rise of China to center stage.
Center to our downfall is the progressive worsening of our leaders. I once thought Nixon was the worst president ever, then came Reagan. Ronnie began our economic collapse, then came Bush I. GH began our military collapse by thinking he had won in Iraq, and definitely losing in Somalia, then came Bush II. GW solidified our moral collapse by making hatred and ignorance the new coin of the realm. I shudder to think of Sarah Palin becoming our Nero.
Hopefully, our final fall will be non-violent, at least in the armed conflict sense. I do not foresee a civil war or a military attack on the United States. An insolvency that leads to a great depression will be horrible enough, and will lead to general violence, but I hope the worst nightmare scenario can be avoided.
China, as our principle creditor, has been stealthily gaining influence throughout the world, and must be admitted to having a superior military force. I do not envision them as being conquerors, a la Genghis Khan, but as foreclosure landlords a la Simon Legree.
What will the new world order be with China in the lead? I cannot see, but I am seriously considering learning to speak Mandarin. I just wish I didn't also have to learn a new alphabet.

[thunder rising]

1. I agree with the initial statement. I know there will be violence when hunger hits the upper

echelons. They don't know what it's like to go without.

Xe (Blackwater) will be their army. Those psycho killers will not be able to kill fast enough. Then the exports of grains and food products will be halted (railroads are such easy targets). Distribution will halt due to hijacking and bandits. There WILL be violence when hunger strikes home.

[modrepub]

3. Who Knows for Sure?

Maybe this is the end, maybe not. All empires face crises, some rise to it some don't. The only thing I know is our demise will probably happen when we least expect it (if we know it happened at all). The problem with China is that they are inherently cheating by artificially keeping their currency low. This gives them certain trading advantages (low wages and costs). I'd guess that there is a real cost to pay at some point for them but as long as their centralized planning system can keep a lid on discontent they can still function. Remember what was said of the Japanese several decades ago. Innovation is the key here; countries need to have the ability to adapt and change; something Americans usually do quite easily (and painfully). All I see from China is an ability to build cheap products (poorly) and sell them to others. Maybe that will change in the future, maybe not.

[arcadian]

2. We will always have the upper hand with China

as long as we can nuke them 20 times over.

[Cartoonist]

4. Being able does not mean doing

Britain could have massacred the Indian population, starting with Ghandi, but they held their hand. We could have nuked Viet Nam, but didn't. What would have been the point? As I said, I don't think China will attack us militarily. They will beat us at the game of Monopoly. They will let the west have the Baltics and the Mediterranean.

[thunder rising]

5. Who manufactures the parts for those missiles anymore? The sites will go off-line long before

the need to use them.

[ConcernedCanuk]

6. I do not think China has an ambition to create an Empire.

.
.
.

China will be quite happy, and influential by just bettering the country it has methinks.

I do not envision China attempting to invade other countries as the US has been doing.

I believe China knows that it can be a superpower without encroaching on the sovereignty of other nations.

That's my opinion anyhoo . .

[Odin2005]

7. China is already an empire.

Just ask the Tibetans. China contains countless numbers of non-Chinese ethnic groups.

[Cartoonist]

8. Tibet

Tibet is part of China just like Hawaii is part of the United States. Study your history. China actually liberated the Tibetans from their religious overlords. Demands for China to free Tibet are ludicrous coming from people who don't also demand that the United States return all lands to the native Americans.

[Odin2005]

9. Religious overlords? ROFL.