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Considering how powerful and influential we were in the 1990s it's almost impossible for us to NOT decline in power (Obviously I'm from the States.)
We are clearing on the decline. We are just like England man.
It hasn't had real power since after WWII, IMO.
Since our founding fathers really did not want us to enter into the "world power struggle" – check out our constitution – I don't believe we should have had that much so-called power in the first place.
If you want to be the world leader in freedom, do so by example – not gunboat diplomacy.
Walking softly but carrying a big stick should have meant for us to leave the rest of the world to their own demise but smack down anyone who attacks us, NOT to save the world from themselves and be the planetary police force.
Just my not-so-humble opinion.
So you think that the U.S should’ve been the playground kid who got bullied until he stood up for himself. I wonder if obama was in office at the time, how many innocent americans would’ve had to die before he decided to defend the people of this nation.
First of all, you have very badly misread my statement.
You said "I wonder if obama was in office at the time, how many innocent americans would've had to die before he decided to defend the people of this nation." – Just what time are you talking about?
My statement is meant that we should have pulled our military out of Europe when the soviets collapsed and out of Korea when we knew that they could defend themselves, and also out of Japan about the same time. By leaving our military all over the world, we are trying to be the worlds police force and I believe that is not what we should be doing.
And if you do not think that we are now being "bullied" around the playground now . . . ?
Get my drift?
Perhaps you should be more specific, I thought you were refferring to the commonly debated War in Iraq. I apologize for this, but understand that your words were easily misinterpreted.
As to the states being the worlds police force, i agree, but in the case of the war in Iraq they are right to defend themselves.
I see a lot of military conclusions. Projecting physical power is useful. It's certainly important if there are possibilities for confrontations and conventional power struggles between nation-states. I don't regard it as the most important measure of a nation-state's power base.
Human capital is far more important in the long run than the ability to conquer, pacify, or even to defend against incursions, all of which are short-run strategies which may or may not affect the base of power that a nation and its people rely upon (positively or negatively). To our credit, we place little boundaries on who we develop within the frameworks that encourage human capital, and (perhaps because of this) we also have some of the better opportunities available to do so.
I'm very skeptical that we will be able to maintain a physical advantage over China and India simply because those countries have significant population advantages and much opportunity for growth that we no longer have (it is even arguable that the Chinese economy has, in physical terms expressed through purchasing parity power, already surpassed our own). I still don't think either country has institutions which are well-positioned socially, culturally, and economically to overtake the US in the long run. Yet. Both are moving in that direction while we appear to be content to tread water.
So I would not argue we are "losing power" so much as watching other powers rise.