Where Is The World Headed?

[The Nomad]

its white population would be rapidly reduced as minorities become the majority.

Just to come back to this, Russia may face issues with de facto Chinese control over parts of Siberia as large quantities of "guest workers" move there as is currently happening.

Russia has always had the gift of having a very well-placed country, very safe against foreign entry. As safe as you can be without being an island, at least. Sadly it's population isn't able to utilize the land at their disposal.

[nomadicwarlord]

If you read Fareed Zakaria "Post American world", you will understand where the world is headed. I just started reading it, from what I have gathered so far. He touches on the notion that American "soft power" is slowly decreasing" and talks about how terrorism is blown out of proportion. He does a great job in pointing out the emergence of China, India, Brazil economies. The Jihad movements worldwide are not united as everybody thinks. From the petty thieves Abu Sayyaf of the Philliphines to Al-Qaeda Central which he refers to as communications company that produces occasional videos rather than actual terrorism.

[The Nomad]

Nomadic, India is going nowhere fast and China will do what it's done over the last 5000 years: China expanding, threatening the world, and collapsing under its own weight.

There's no such thing as a post-American world in which China's emerges. That happening and the US' power diminishing is impossible, by virtue of it being a communist society it's entirely dependent on a capitalist force behind it.

[Basra-]

Recession will end, thereby making things back to business here in the USA. China will continue to reach to african and steal their wealth, while african is irradicated from aids and civil war. There goes your overpopulation quandrum. N/korea and S/ korea will continue to be a nonsense. Japan will run out of land, and overpopulation, but aids will solve that. Europe will continue to be stable and stagnant and russia probably will return to world supremacy. In the end we will all be dead, and then who gives a damn!

[The Nomad]

*snip*

'Japan' and 'overpopulation' in the same sentence

[The Nomad]

Walle, the media has mind-fucked anybody who believes China is ever going to do anything remotely comparable to the US on a global scale.

China is surrounded by India, Japan, Pakistan, Korea and has borders to protect. It lacks the ability to truly project military power navally for the proximate decade at least and lacks a domestic airline to even connect its coastline to it's center.

If the US' decided to destroy the dollar the Chinese economy and nation would turn into the apocalypse

Currently Japan is a larger economy than China with a population over 14x smaller. and 1/40th the land mass. That's what happens when you only make the motions of a free market economy while in reality being as communist as ever.

[Basra-]

The nomad

r u disputing japan can have overpopulation? Did u see oprah recently? looool the average household lives in a cubicle home. No land, = cramped people = appearance of overpopulation!

[AbdiWahab252]

Nomad,

Russia acquired Siberia through the force of arms and the territory is not an easy place to settle. When you have lots of land and few people, your neighbors will immigrate and slowly take it over. The same thing is happening in the Southwest regions of AMerica. It will slowly become heavily Mexican/Hispanic and thus may be closer to Mexico City than Washington. On a more sad scale, the same thing has successfully happened in Dir Dawa, and is underway in Somaliland & Puntland as the Oromo swarm in.

[nomadicwarlord]

Nomadic, India is going nowhere fast and China will do what it's done over the last 5000 years: China expanding, threatening the world, and collapsing under its own weight.

There's no such thing as a post-American world in which China's emerges. That happening and the US' power diminishing is impossible, by virtue of it being a communist society it's entirely dependent on a capitalist force behind it.

Fair assessment, nevertheless, American influence is decreasing. Diminishing of US power is definitely possible. American leadership role of the world will eventually take a toll on U.S economy and military. With the mess in Iraq and Afghanistan where the U.S bears the most responsibilities with huge financial costs and increase in military, If American commitments decrease, other regions of the world will be forced to increase its military spending. One thing for sure though, no State can keep up with the U.S militarily, what happened to the Soviet Union, will happen again to any state that seeks to increase its military spending.

The other point, Do you agree or disagree with the fact that, the so called "Islamic" Jihad threat is overblown. No plausible gains will ever materialize from the current Jihadists movements.

[The Nomad]

Nomadic,

You're correct regarding the reckless expenditure, any way you slice it, there will always be a reckoning of some kind. The problem is that Bush and Obama have been invoking Keynesian policies to "stimulate" the economy, when the government had already been going with steady deficits since Reagan (except for of the Clinton years). Of course, no politician can "do nothing" about a situation like this -- that would be very un-American . So instead of paying off the debt, it's full speed ahead towards the wall.

As for the mess in Afghanistan and Iraq, instead of raising taxes to pay for the war in Iraq (this is the way America paid for all of it's wars save Vietnam, before the super genius Bush), they put it all on credit. Even without these massive stimulus bills, their children were already paying off an even more massive bill for the war in Iraq. The stimulus money is pittance compared to what the costs of the Iraq war is going to be for the future generations who need to pay for it, which is what makes complaining about that now when the majority of them sat around doing nothing while Bush put the Iraq war on credit hilarious.

A war of choice put the US is a terrible position. The US's economy is dynamic enough to remain a superpower even if the fiscal situation becomes even bleaker, but it was idiotic, nevertheless.

As long as they take the appropriate steps the US's status is salvageable.

[The Nomad]

The other point, Do you agree or disagree with the fact that, the so called "Islamic" Jihad threat is overblown. No plausible gains will ever materialize from the current Jihadists movements.

Disagree, plausible gains have already materialized. The 'Islamic Jihad threat' is far too broad to be considered a single entity. They'll be successful when it comes to aims such as reducing direct foreign influence in their lands, but obviously a failure when it comes to situations which require diplomacy (the age-old Middle Eastern conflict), etc.