Empires have risen and fallen throughout history, and their story is generally the same: They expand, due to internal efficiencies, get really big for awhile and during this phase, lose the efficiencies that made them successful, and then they enter a diminishing phase, where the loss of power is deeply felt, yet there's little anyone can do to stop it.
In the American Empire of 2010, we've probably reached or are very close to the diminishing phase - when we can pump in 1 trillion dollars to a foreign country that provides almost no benefit to the citizens of the Empire, and in fact hurts them because there's no money left over for domestic issues. Heck, we delivered a Universal healthcare system in Iraq - how did that work out in America?
We're falling out of Space because we can't afford it; our infrastructure is crumbling, a victim of 30 years of Reaganomics; we don't value education, immigration, culture, etc.... instead, we (as an Empire) are simply becoming more shrill - more religious, more warlike, more desperate.
These are the results of 30 years of neo-conservative ideology sweeping through our ruling class - a class now dedicated solely to the preservation of the Plutocracy. But alas, no plutocracy can last long, as they are always build on unstable foundations.
The point? Learn Mandarin now!
2 comments:
America might do better as an underdog -- I certainly prefer us under those circumstances. The Chinese also can't keep this up forever. Their rising prosperity may lead to an end of consumer goods giveaways, which could result in manufacturing returning to parts of the first world. Seems like a longshot, but it's a more attractive America. But I guess that's just my conservative/reactionary longing for "the old, weird America"?
Yeah, I was being a bit hyperbolic. Barring some catastrophe, China is not going to rule the world and we won't need to learn Mandarin for daily stuff (but for business - different matter).
But the USA on the decline is real enough, but you're right: Maybe we can shed the burden of Empire by a nice collapse, and then recover as the isolated but welcoming country we were for most of our history.
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