NationStates Jolt Archive

VoteForYourChoiceThenTellWhy :cool:

VoteForYourChoiceThenTell[COLOR=Navy]Why :cool:
Do not torture me with fonts. Because of our will, and resolve.

Because we are not afraid to defy the UN and tell the rest of the world what we will do and when we will do it.

I think they are only strong because of their military might.

I think they are only strong because of their military might.
Its DEFINETELY not only b/c of their military, its b/c or SO much more!

I think we're strong because we're currently the most powerful nation on Earth.

:)

Its DEFINETELY not only b/c of their military, its b/c or SO much more!
Fine, but I'm not saying because of political and civil rights, which are fewer next to Canada. :D

I think we're strong because we're currently the most powerful nation on Earth.

:)




Let's lay of the egos and actually debate the reason why...

Fine, but I'm not saying because of political and civil rights, which are fewer next to Canada. :D

Well I guess you are entitled to that :rolleyes:

Well I guess you are entitled to that :rolleyes:
Which I did! NYAH! :D :D:D:D

After the fall of the Soviet Union, we were left as the world's sole superpower. No other country has risen to "superpower" status yet, and the economy hasn't been completely fucked up yet. The end.

"Do as I say, not as I do"

Cause of their large population and their isolated geographical position. An enemy army would first have to cross thousands of miles of ocean to get there.

PS: I forgot to mention dumb luck.

Steroids.

Its the economy, stupid! Sorry, I just had to say it

Could it also be because we as a people are fiercely independent and refuse to bend to the will of others? The spirit of freedom is a strong thing and while we have a grasp of what it is individually, trying to explain it to others is difficult. It is truly an American phenomenon that started with a revolt against the then most powerful country on earth.

If there was an underlying reason, it's our economy, though it's really more complex than that. The fact that this land was resource rich, had liberal institutions, and was isolated from war for a long time gave us time to develope. And when it comes to committments abroad, the American people had resolve and a desire to win. Now I'm not so sure if we do.

Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Docterine, which should really be enforced again.

Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Docterine, which should really be enforced again.
Why does the Monroe Doctrine need to be used again?

Could it also be because we as a people are fiercely independent and refuse to bend to the will of others? The spirit of freedom is a strong thing and while we have a grasp of what it is individually, trying to explain it to others is difficult. It is truly an American phenomenon that started with a revolt against the then most powerful country on earth.

You mean that "most powerful country" of equally fiercly independant people that you had pretty much all emigrated from?

Or was it just something in the water in the new world that made you diferenct from your forebearers?

Sorry, but it is one hell of a conceit to think that you have a monopoly on the better aspects of the human spirit.

You mean that "most powerful country" of equally fiercly independant people that you had pretty much all emigrated from?

Or was it just something in the water in the new world that made you diferenct from your forebearers?

Sorry, but it is one hell of a conceit to think that you have a monopoly on the better aspects of the human spirit.

Yeah, those would be those fiercely independent subjects of which monarch? Actually the US DID have a monopoly on that at one time, but others also threw out their "devine masters" and embraced freedom from tyranny. Of course as a non-US citizen and a subject of the crown (Canada being a member of the commonwealth) you would not understand. As I said, it is an American phenomenon.

Yeah, those would be those fiercely independent subjects of which monarch? Actually the US DID have a monopoly on that at one time, but others also threw out their "devine masters" and embraced freedom from tyranny. Of course as a non-US citizen and a subject of the crown (Canada being a member of the commonwealth) you would not understand. As I said, it is an American phenomenon.

Excuse me? Canada signed away from the UK in 1982 and we did it without a shot fired. Some thing to be said for diplomacy huh.. Would seem to me that the US has far closer ties to the UK administration these days then any one out there.

A few reasons. One, we DO have quite the sizable military. Two, population. Three, geography. Because we're frigging BIG, and we have a lot of space, we have natural resources, which always helps. Four, very nice established trade routes, which links into three. Five, ingenuity-not to say other countries don't have it, but we had 3 and 4 going for us. Six, fame. We've been in so many freaking wars it's not even funny-EVERYONE knows about us. If a fly sneezes in Russia, somehow we're involved :p. Seven, playing off of six, is the Cold War-there became two superpowers, and one of them's gone. We're left.

Furthermore, and I'm no expert on the matter, but I believe the lack of empire building helped. Many european countries had their little empires. Britian's was HUGE. But then they lost them, and that hurt them a bit.


Once again, I'm no expert on the matter. I'm aware that we arn't the only country to have what I listed, but we have ALL of it. And, well, I'm probebly wrong on quite a few things :p

The United States is not strong in the sense that people are intelligent. I live there you know, and many policies are based on blind faith or dumb luck. Like the missle defense shield for instance: the central government is building it, but the overwhelming majority of scientists and researchers say it is a futile effort. Although I would condone tax cuts for the people who run small businesses too, why did we give their larger competitors the same benefits despite the fact that math works in their favour? Many people always believe fast, instant action is always the best solution. Which is why the current canidates for the election are very popular. Let me say this; the most decisive people in the world are usually the people you don't want: dictators. Sure, Hitler helped the German economy, but looked what happened after that! We should take note that the world runs on a larger time-scale than a single life-time can comprehend. The United States is weak in the sense that it is impatient. Seriously, do you think all the problems in the world-no, the country itself can be solved in a mere eight years? Glory is fleeting . . . I honestly believe that such people could be the death of democracy. Such greed displayed by the generations (young and old) is simply the ignorance of what will happen to the world/country in a thousand or more years. Nuclear Waste, global warming, air quality, etc. I know none of us will live to see this, but imagine a world where a place like the North Korea of the present was the best place to live. If you knew half of what went on in that country, you may be able to see the point.

Besides that, we have one man who controls enough power to destroy the world twice over in the capital right now. Pity he can't pronounce the word, "nuclear" correctly either. I have no doubt that all those nuclear, neutron and hydrogen weapons are pointed at the largest cities in the world. Imagine some old Soviet state or a vengeful North Korea firing off a single warhead into the heart of California or New York City . . .

The United States is not strong in the sense that people are intelligent. I live there you know, and many policies are based on blind faith or dumb luck. Like the missle defense shield for instance: the central government is building it, but the overwhelming majority of scientists and researchers say it is a futile effort. Although I would condone tax cuts for the people who run small businesses too, why did we give their larger competitors the same benefits despite the fact that math works in their favour? Many people always believe fast, instant action is always the best solution. Which is why the current canidates for the election are very popular. Let me say this; the most decisive people in the world are usually the people you don't want: dictators. Sure, Hitler helped the German economy, but looked what happened after that! We should take note that the world runs on a larger time-scale than a single life-time can comprehend. The United States is weak in the sense that it is impatient. Seriously, do you think all the problems in the world-no, the country itself can be solved in a mere eight years? Glory is fleeting . . . I honestly believe that such people could be the death of democracy. Such greed displayed by the generations (young and old) is simply the ignorance of what will happen to the world/country in a thousand or more years. Nuclear Waste, global warming, air quality, etc. I know none of us will live to see this, but imagine a world where a place like the North Korea of the present was the best place to live. If you knew half of what went on in that country, you may be able to see the point.

Besides that, we have one man who controls enough power to destroy the world twice over in the capital right now. Pity he can't pronounce the word, "nuclear" correctly either. I have no doubt that all those nuclear, neutron and hydrogen weapons are pointed at the largest cities in the world. Imagine some old Soviet state or a vengeful North Korea firing off a single warhead into the heart of California or New York City . . .
Ya, some of what you say is true....

It's because of Britney Spears you guys.... I don't know what all this political talk is about.... We got Britney Spears.

There are numerous reasons for US strength. I can't name one most important. However, if I had to name the two most important factors they would be culture and geography.

Geography: The geography of the US gives it strategic and economic advantages.
Being a "continental" power, the US spans the a large part of North America. This gives it unfettered access to both the Atlantic and Pacific. There are only two neighbors, both relatively weak. This, combined with the oceans, affords the US unprecidented protection against foreign attack.
Furthermore, the US dominates the temperate zone of North America. The temperate zone is the most productive part of any continent. The climate is most conducive to industry, agriculture, and other human endevors. The US also has large amounts of most of the major strategic resources.

Culture: The culture of the US promotes it's strength in many complex ways: freedoms and rights, capitalism, a historical avoidance of major conflicts*, openess to immigration**, among other factors, have allowed the US to build on the geographic factors.

*Some people are going to scream and yell about the US being a warmonger. However, go and read your history books. The US has shown great reluctance to enter major conflicts, especially outside North America, until the post WWII period. Even then, there has been a great deal of isolationist sentiment. The current administration's policy has been an abberation.

**There have been abberations of this, as well, but overall US immigration policy has been, and still is remarkably open compared with most other countries.

Because the US hasn't been pasted flat in one of the countless wars that rocks the Old World. The only comparable places are Canada and Australia, both of which have had to bleed themselves dry bailing Britain out of her ongoing European disasters - such as the two world wars.

Nukes, military, people, cities, economy, other.

Other being the fact that there's really no one who's willing to stand up to anything, let alone be a counter to a superpower, and while the US isn't really standing either, it doesn't really -have- to.

Why is the US so strong, or What caused the US to become so strong?

The US is so strong because it has an outsized economy and a strong group will to power, military and economy are the closest of your options.

What caused the US to become so strong is a combination of factors, not the least of which is geography - an option that should be on your poll. The US has always had a strong group will to power, it currently expresses itself (mostly) in the large military but has previously expressed itself in a variety of ways such as Manifest Destiny - it is often mistaken for arrogance and in many ways resembles it, but the US will to power is far more complex than simple arrogance - and most unusually this group will to power has lasted the entire existance of the US, although it may finally be petering out. Good governemnt is part of it too, not great government and far from perfect government but good government and actually a pretty consistantly good government without the excesses of great government followed by poor government which a fair number of countries have succumbed to - without the other advantages we would be poorer than our northern neighbor which has managed to have a likewise consistant but better government. Political rights, civil rights, smart people and a lot of people have also conspired to make the US so strong, but none by themselves would have been enough and they are so synergistic that removing one would make the others useless.

Okay, someone probably said this before me, but oh well. I always post too late into threads.

It's the economy and reputation.

I know many of you are thinking, reputation? What the hell is he thinking? America has a horrible reputation!

That's not really true, that's only recently, due to the whole war bit. Many people may hate the U.S, but those people are people who live in relatively well off countries (minus the middle-east). Many many of the people who live in underdeveloped countries (their best too, the dumber ones aren't smart enough to be able to get out of their country) move to America, looking for an opportunity to live "free from oppression" (well it's freer than the country they came from, most of the time).

To be honest (no disrespect to my American friends) I don't think the Americans are as strong as we think they are. I mean, in nukes and arms and stuff yeah.. but they are sliding badly from an economic stand point and if they slip to much more, the rest of the world will own them, have you seen their deficit? They keep borrowing money at that rate.. they won't be too strong for too long. Just a personal opinion, I personally hope they do pay off a lot of their debt and do well, they are my neighbours :)

Because the US hasn't been pasted flat in one of the countless wars that rocks the Old World. The only comparable places are Canada and Australia, both of which have had to bleed themselves dry bailing Britain out of her ongoing European disasters - such as the two world wars.


Ditto that!

The dollar, the Breton woods trade organisation, the World trade organisation, the UN.
The US is powerful because it prints the dollar. The dollar is powerful because the US imposed it as the world reference currency just after the WW2, when the world was recovering and couldn't do a fucking thing about it.
Ever wondered why the US is the only country promoting capitalism?

Because of it being colonised by Europeans, because of the brain drain first from the Old continent then from the rest of the world.

The dollar, the Breton woods trade organisation, the World trade organisation, the UN.
The US is powerful because it prints the dollar. The dollar is powerful because the US imposed it as the world reference currency just after the WW2, when the world was recovering and couldn't do a fucking thing about it.
Ever wondered why the US is the only country promoting capitalism?


Bah what does reference currency have to do with it :-P it is just as it sounds … a point of reference. Doesn’t make it any more valuable in reality

Nukes, Military, Cities and Economy cannot be the reason. These are effect or symptoms of a a strong nation.

Some say 'economy of course', but economy didn't come by itself. A strong economy is a result of sometthing else.

Smart People, Good Government, A lot of people, Political Freedoms, Civil Rights are possible reasons since these are elements and resources that form the society.

Personally I think it's a combination of the ideological principles that america is built uppon, it's nature resources/land area and the number of people.

Since the poll did not really reflect these options, I voted political freedoms and civil rights because that was as close to 'ideological principles' as I could get.

Because of Jews.

Bah what does reference currency have to do with it :-P it is just as it sounds … a point of reference. Doesn’t make it any more valuable in reality
Yes it does. Because it was linked to the gold.
At that time, one pound of gold = $35, then every other currencies were fluctuating against the dollar, therefore against the gold, whereas the dollar was always the same value against the gold. The day after the breton wood organisation colapsed, the dollar lost half its value, 10 years latter, it was $800 for a pound of gold. But it was too late, the US already used its currency to own the world.

Because of Jews.
Your name stinks.

Because we're so good at exploiting other nations and keeping the population uninformed of it..

Must be because of strong leadership... ;)

Because the US has been fortunate enough not to have been ravaged by war in over 100 years. It walked away virtually unscathed in both world wars because of its geographic location, and as a result kept a head and shoulders above all the other nations. For the time being.

Yes it does. Because it was linked to the gold.
At that time, one pound of gold = $35, then every other currencies were fluctuating against the dollar, therefore against the gold, whereas the dollar was always the same value against the gold. The day after the breton wood organisation colapsed, the dollar lost half its value, 10 years latter, it was $800 for a pound of gold. But it was too late, the US already used its currency to own the world.

But the US dollar is only linked to ITS gold
And is only used to COMPARE other countries own currency/gold ratio

It is just using it as a “meter” stick … it does NOT adjust the internal ratio of the dollar

But the US dollar is only linked to ITS gold
And is only used to COMPARE other countries own currency/gold ratio

It is just using it as a “meter” stick … it does NOT adjust the internal ratio of the dollar
You don't understand. The dollar is just linked to how much gold the US says it has, not how much gold it has. If the dollar fell to $800/pound of gold, it's because the US printed about 20 times as much dollar as they should have.

I dont think america has a lot going for it so it might be powerfull but who wants to be hated by every other country in the world.
I think it is time for america to take there head out of there ass and listen to the rest of the world otherwise they will be outcasted.
I myself like america but when i listen to the views of other people they are not liked very much at all.
the biggest problem is friendly fire against the british.. :sniper: :D

i think they are so strong because of the geografical isolation, the high number of inhabitants, the large dimension of the country, that they have all important resources in their own borders and they have never been destroit by a war like france germany or russia

To be honest (no disrespect to my American friends) I don't think the Americans are as strong as we think they are. I mean, in nukes and arms and stuff yeah.. but they are sliding badly from an economic stand point and if they slip to much more, the rest of the world will own them, have you seen their deficit? They keep borrowing money at that rate.. they won't be too strong for too long. Just a personal opinion, I personally hope they do pay off a lot of their debt and do well, they are my neighbours :)
The debt sucks, but then again every major nation in the world has levels of debt comparable or even exceeding that of the United States (in terms of GDP) - Canada, India, Japan, China, Germany, France, Russia, South Korea, etc. And throw in the American states and Canadian provinces with huge debts too. That means if we are weaker because of our debt, so is every other nation in the world, so it all evens out.

Hamburgers.It was the hamburgers.And the lessons learnt from Hitler on how to build a decent infrastructure.

You don't understand. The dollar is just linked to how much gold the US says it has, not how much gold it has. If the dollar fell to $800/pound of gold, it's because the US printed about 20 times as much dollar as they should have.

So then the RATIO of dollar to the other currency goes down (so lets say .9 to .83)
It still does NOT effect the BUYING power of the other currency … rather how it is transferred (so really only an issue when you are doing currency trading … )

The debt sucks, but then again every major nation in the world has levels of debt comparable or even exceeding that of the United States (in terms of GDP) - Canada, India, Japan, China, Germany, France, Russia, South Korea, etc. And throw in the American states and Canadian provinces with huge debts too. That means if we are weaker because of our debt, so is every other nation in the world, so it all evens out.
Yeah that and the fact the US is paying its debt in dollar. Botswana is paying its debt in dollars as well BTW. So does France, Germany and all. Thanks Breton woods.

So then the RATIO of dollar to the other currency goes down (so lets say .9 to .83)
It still does NOT effect the BUYING power of the other currency … rather how it is transferred (so really only an issue when you are doing currency trading … )
But if you print tons of dollars you can buy gold with it. On the other hand, if you print tons of deutsch marks (at that time) the price of gold is more and more expensive in mark.

The debt sucks, but then again every major nation in the world has levels of debt comparable or even exceeding that of the United States (in terms of GDP) - Canada, India, Japan, China, Germany, France, Russia, South Korea, etc. And throw in the American states and Canadian provinces with huge debts too. That means if we are weaker because of our debt, so is every other nation in the world, so it all evens out.
So true

And so many people think it is some mythical bank loan

Usually all it ends up being is the fact that we IMPORT more then we EXPORT

The current deficit is being reported by congress and other sources because of a lack of internal savings.

But anyways it is not like we took out a loan … it is actually money that the government owes ITSELF sort of thing (very complicated stuff)

But if you print tons of dollars you can buy gold with it. On the other hand, if you print tons of deutsch marks (at that time) the price of gold is more and more expensive in mark.


YES but it is NOT because of the price of DOLLARS it is because of the deutsch marks OWN INFLATION

In that case they have to print LESS deutsch marks and the value per mark goes UP without the US ever changing a thing!

You don't understand. The dollar is just linked to how much gold the US says it has, not how much gold it has. If the dollar fell to $800/pound of gold, it's because the US printed about 20 times as much dollar as they should have.No. The problem you seem to be havng is a missing step in US economic history. When the US was on the gold/silver standard all money printed had to be backed by either gold and silver reserves. The US went off the gold/silver standard in the 1930s and there was no relation between the value of a dollar and the bullion reserve of the US anymore. The Gold market was regulated in the US to set the price of the gold until 1972ish (? the date stuck in my head but is probably incorrect, but it was sometime around then), but there was no linkage between the bullion reserves of the US and the number of dollars in circulation. When the artificial price was removed, the free market (well not really free) set the value of gold so high, but this was not based upon a linkage between the ammount of bullion reserves of the US and the number of US dollars in circulation, it was based upon the buyers' evaluation of the usefulness of owning gold.

But anyways it is not like we took out a loan … it is actually money that the government owes ITSELF sort of thing (very complicated stuff)Most of the debt is paid in US dollars.

Most of the debt is paid in US dollars.


Well duh because it was the united states owing itself money essentialy ... how else would they pay themselfs? (actualy probably wasent phisical dollars at all but I wont argue too much)

Why do you think the US is so strong?

Two reasons, dealing with the question on different levels.

Economically, America flourished after the second World War. Trade skyrocketed as Western Europe and Japan sided with the USA rather than the USSR. The reds managed to scare the world with their talk of revolution to the extent of a massive surge in preference for the American power. This gave the world the brand names that we all recognise - CocaCola, Mars and Hollywood (misspelling?) for example, as well as all of the abundant raw materials the States controlled at the time. The influence on the rest of the west, and America's enormous export market, still remains.

But in military terms, the US pulled one over on the rest of the world along with, again, Russia. While everyone else tried their best to leave their weapons behind and forget about war, the two superpowers built their armaments to an insane level, dwarfing the others and ignoring (perhaps with due reason; they could be blown up at any minute... << ) the pleas of humanity to knock it off. Now that Russia's dropped out of the race, America is the single most destructive power on this planet, and they owe much of that to both the rise and fall of Communism, their open defiance of it and their complete disregard for the non-american mankind. After all, if they'd worried about the people caught in the middle, they wouldn't have invented the atom bomb, and where would that leave them?

No. The problem you seem to be havng is a missing step in US economic history. When the US was on the gold/silver standard all money printed had to be backed by either gold and silver reserves. The US went off the gold/silver standard in the 1930s and there was no relation between the value of a dollar and the bullion reserve of the US anymore. The Gold market was regulated in the US to set the price of the gold until 1972ish (? the date stuck in my head but is probably incorrect, but it was sometime around then), but there was no linkage between the bullion reserves of the US and the number of dollars in circulation. When the artificial price was removed, the free market (well not really free) set the value of gold so high, but this was not based upon a linkage between the ammount of bullion reserves of the US and the number of US dollars in circulation, it was based upon the buyers' evaluation of the usefulness of owning gold.It's the breton wood accords which ended in 72 or so. It ended because France asked to convert its dollars in gold. Many countries followed. It turned up the US didn't have that amount of gold. Then they decided to end the link between gold and dollars, so that they didn't have to give a pound of gold for $35, but rather for $800.

Note the other currencies value was set by the free market long before that.

So true

And so many people think it is some mythical bank loan

Usually all it ends up being is the fact that we IMPORT more then we EXPORT
Wrong, because the trade deficit, which results from the economic decisions made by the private sector has nothing to do with the national deficit which results from overspending on wars, welfare, etc. by the public sector. Trade deficit and national deficit are two different things and you can be in the red on one and in the black on the other. For example even though the US has deficits on both fronts CHina simultaneously has a large trade surplus and a large national debt.

The current deficit is being reported by congress and other sources because of a lack of internal savings.

But anyways it is not like we took out a loan … it is actually money that the government owes ITSELF sort of thing (very complicated stuff)
Not actually... the money that a government uses to finance deficit spending comes in the form of earnings from treasury bonds that are sold to private citizens and foreign countries. I'm sure every American here owns some bonds. But the vast majority of bonds are purchased by multinational banks which finance the debts of many nations simultaneously.

I voted because of our political freedoms and smart people. These directly contribute to most of the other reasons listed in the poll. Industrious, innovative people combined with the freedom to follow their own judgements leads to a good economy, a strong military, etc.

Because we are SOOO COOL!!! :D

I voted for every option... there are bad apples here or there but for the past almost 250 years on average American government has been sound overall and has worked to accumulate wealth and power for the country. Also our people are smart because of the unsurpassed universities we have. And of course there is a healthy element of dumb luck, such as the vast and resource-rich land area, the fact we are buffered against brutal sectarian violence in the Old world by two huge oceans, and other world events that generally conspire to make us happy.

The debt sucks, but then again every major nation in the world has levels of debt comparable or even exceeding that of the United States (in terms of GDP) - Canada, India, Japan, China, Germany, France, Russia, South Korea, etc. And throw in the American states and Canadian provinces with huge debts too. ....

Not Norway. Here's what the cia fact files have to say:
Debt - external:
$0 (Norway is a net external creditor) (2003 est.)
;)

Unsurpassed university? I don't get it.
Do you think the average american is smarter than in other countries?
Or is the american elite smarter than in other countries?

Not Norway. Here's what the cia fact files have to say:
Debt - external:
$0 (Norway is a net external creditor) (2003 est.)
;)
Yeah Norway has that oil. Most middle east countries don't have debt either. All countries pay in dollars though, although they do not all print it.

Not Norway. Here's what the cia fact files have to say:
Debt - external:
$0 (Norway is a net external creditor) (2003 est.)
;)
That begs the question, is Norway a major power compared to the US, Germany, China, Japan? Some small countries who have the luxury of not needing to finance a major military and other services that are characteristic of large nations of course will have an easier time. But then again whether these small nations are doing well or not really has little consequence in the wider world.

It's the breton wood accords which ended in 72 or so. It ended because France asked to convert its dollars in gold. Many countries followed. It turned up the US didn't have that amount of gold. Then they decided to end the link between gold and dollars, so that they didn't have to give a pound of gold for $35, but rather for $800.

Note the other currencies value was set by the free market long before that.(note: troy ounce or comonly ounce not pound)

Your final note is also wrong. The value of US currency relative to other countries was set by the terms of the BW accord. The value of gold in other countries was (mostly) set by the free market.

The squeeze came about because while the price of gold could rise relative to the currencies of other countries ("devaluating" the currency relative to gold), the value of the curency relative to the US dollar was fixed (currencies could be devaluated relative to the US dollar under BW but the devaluation did not accord well with the devaluation of the currencies relative to gold). This resulted in a circumstance where one could convert 1 ounce of gold outside the US into $210.00 worth of Francs(a number picked to make the maths easy) , convert the francs into US dollars and then convert the US dollars into 6 ounces of gold - a pretty good scam when people caught on to it. If the currency values had been set correctly then the US woud have been able to buy enough gold on the market as $35US/ounce to meet the demand but noone was willing to sell gold to the US at that price when they could make considerably more than that selling it in a foreign currency and then converting the currency to US dollars.

Unsurpassed university? I don't get it.
Do you think the average american is smarter than in other countries?
Or is the american elite smarter than in other countries?
American scientists are better, thats for sure. No other nation on earth has the resources and money we have to fund the research you see here. Of course, a lot of American students, scientists, and engineers are foreign born but the fact that the best and brightest around the world want to come here to study and work gives much credit to our system.

That begs the question, is Norway a major power compared to the US, Germany, China, Japan?

I was just there, actually. The price of living is astoundingly expensive; a 330ml can of soda alone costs 19:-, the equivilent of £1.40 or $2.50. Entertainment, consumables, travel, it's all priced through the roof. Since most of that is spent on goods manufactured within Norway itself, that's probably how they keep their national debt under control...

Nukes: they probably contributed, especially in the early post war years. But they had no more effect once other nations(like the USSR) got them.
Military: the USs most important markets were gained through the US army, WWII brought many typical American products on the European/Asian markets
Smart People: There are probably smart people in the US, but other nations have smart people to. Individuals probably contributed but thats it.
Good Government: Depends what you mean with good? Well if your economically strong you must have a good government, otherwise you would never have become strong in the first place.
A lot of people: Brazil? China? Russia? India? Indonesia? Although nations like China and India are growing, having huge populations doesnt really make a difference here.
Cities: same as 'a lot of people'
Political Freedoms: probably, rivalry at the top makes politicians go for decisions that make a nation stronger. He who doesnt do that will lose his seat in the next elections
Civil Rights: Probably contributes, freedom of speech makes critisizm possible, its what made the Soviet army strong in WWII and the German army weaker(then it could have been)
Economy: caused by most of the others.

Thats my opinion on this matter.

(note: troy ounce or comonly ounce not pound)

Your final note is also wrong. The value of US currency relative to other countries was set by the terms of the BW accord. The value of gold in other countries was (mostly) set by the free market.

The squeeze came about because while the price of gold could rise relative to the currencies of other countries ("devaluating" the currency relative to gold), the value of the curency relative to the US dollar was fixed (currencies could be devaluated relative to the US dollar under BW but the devaluation did not accord well with the devaluation of the currencies relative to gold). This resulted in a circumstance where one could convert 1 ounce of gold outside the US into $210.00 worth of Francs(a number picked to make the maths easy) , convert the francs into US dollars and then convert the US dollars into 6 ounces of gold - a pretty good scam when people caught on to it. If the currency values had been set correctly then the US woud have been able to buy enough gold on the market as $35US/ounce to meet the demand but noone was willing to sell gold to the US at that price when they could make considerably more than that selling it in a foreign currency and then converting the currency to US dollars.
The main problem is that the US was paying its debt in dollars.
http://www.charles-de-gaulle.org/article.php3?id_article=104

American scientists are better, thats for sure. No other nation on earth has the resources and money we have to fund the research you see here. Of course, a lot of American students, scientists, and engineers are foreign born but the fact that the best and brightest around the world want to come here to study and work gives much credit to our system.
If you talk abut nations, yeas, but for instance the EU has more universities and students than the US. More research as well.

If you talk abut nations, yeas, but for instance the EU has more universities and students than the US. More research as well.
The US certainly leads the world in space research. The US and Japan are both ahead of the EU in many fields like biomedical engineering and telecommunications. Though the EU nations have many highly respected and well-established physics departments. Anyways it doesnt make sense to compare single nations with supranational entities and other groupings of nations though... saying something like "the rest of the world has more universities and students and research than the US"... duh whats the point?

The main problem is that the US was paying its debt in dollars.
http://www.charles-de-gaulle.org/article.php3?id_article=104Well this article talks about the balance of payments problem, and has little to actually do with currency and nothing to do with the ammount of US currency in circulation. Since the US was a net importer from France, France was accumlating US dollars, the US was obligated under to sell gold to France at the rate of $35US/ounce and France redeemed their US dollars at this rate instead of holding them or trading them to other countries for their currencies or francs in the hands of other countries or using them to buy gold themselves on the French market. At the time of the last major US gold purchase to redeem it's dollars from France, the US was buying gold on the Paris spot market at $44.61US/ounce ** and selling it to the French bank at $35US/ounce - further increasing the ballance of trade discrepancy. The problem was not that the US had too much cash in circulation, but that the exchange rate between the US and France was not representative of the true relative values of the currencies in gold.

**curse you for making me actually look something up**

Well this article talks about the balance of payments problem, and has little to actually do with currency and nothing to do with the ammount of US currency in circulation. Since the US was a net importer from France, France was accumlating US dollars, the US was obligated under to sell gold to France at the rate of $35US/ounce and France redeemed their US dollars at this rate instead of holding them or trading them to other countries for their currencies or francs in the hands of other countries or using them to buy gold themselves on the French market. At the time of the last major US gold purchase to redeem it's dollars from France, the US was buying gold on the Paris spot market at $44.61US/ounce ** and selling it to the French bank at $35US/ounce - further increasing the ballance of trade discrepancy. The problem was not that the US had too much cash in circulation, but that the exchange rate between the US and France was not representative of the true relative values of the currencies in gold.

**curse you for making me actually look something up**That and the fact that the US paid its debt in dollars.

The US certainly leads the world in space research. The US and Japan are both ahead of the EU in many fields like biomedical engineering and telecommunications. Though the EU nations have many highly respected and well-established physics departments. Anyways it doesnt make sense to compare single nations with supranational entities and other groupings of nations though... saying something like "the rest of the world has more universities and students and research than the US"... duh whats the point?
I give the US the credit of the best space research.
Telecomms are more advanced in the EU.
Anyway, maybe it doesn't makes sense, you are right.

Because of Jews.

So the Jews are a good thing then :p

That's right, post some more. My hands are itching to report you.

That and the fact that the US paid its debt in dollars.It makes no difference, under BW every country paid their debts in either US dollars or gold - that was what the International Monetary System was all about. France paid their foreign debts in US dollars because dollars were cheaper than gold. Dollars and gold were the two standards for foreign exchange, and every countries currency was supposed to set at the same exchange rate with the US dollar so that the price of gold was the same in all the countries relative to the US dollar.

You seem to confusing the fact that the Catalyst (not cause) of the colapse of BW was the US inflationary policies of the 1960s, which has nothing directly to do with ballance of trade. When the US expanded it's currency (inflation) the ratio between the ammount of gold availible on the world market and the number of US dollars in circulation changed significantly. The simple solution would have been to revalue the US dollar to $45US/ounce, but BW did not allow for the revaluation of the US dollar relative to gold and it would have caused all kinds of problems with loans and such. The better, although more complex solution would be to have all the other currencies revaluate themselves relative to the US dollar - but BW did not give the power to force this revaluation. The result of this inability to revaluate was that the US had one value relative to other currencies and a different value relative to gold and was forced by BW to make up the difference in these valuations when countries wished to redeem their dollars for gold.

Its simple! Its their military for these reasons:
1.Its large military, because the U.S. doesn't have free health care service, unlike the U.K., but you could die because you couldn't afford a treatment or operation that could save your life.
2. Its nuclear detterent, same reasons as No.1, but it might either disappear or be the U.S.'s downfall (like on T3: Rise of the Machines)

It makes no difference, under BW every country paid their debts in either US dollars or gold - that was what the International Monetary System was all about. France paid their foreign debts in US dollars because dollars were cheaper than gold. Dollars and gold were the two standards for foreign exchange, and every countries currency was supposed to set at the same exchange rate with the US dollar so that the price of gold was the same in all the countries relative to the US dollar.

You seem to confusing the fact that the Catalyst (not cause) of the colapse of BW was the US inflationary policies of the 1960s, which has nothing directly to do with ballance of trade. When the US expanded it's currency (inflation) the ratio between the ammount of gold availible on the world market and the number of US dollars in circulation changed significantly. The simple solution would have been to revalue the US dollar to $45US/ounce, but BW did not allow for the revaluation of the US dollar relative to gold and it would have caused all kinds of problems with loans and such. The better, although more complex solution would be to have all the other currencies revaluate themselves relative to the US dollar - but BW did not give the power to force this revaluation. The result of this inability to revaluate was that the US had one value relative to other currencies and a different value relative to gold and was forced by BW to make up the difference in these valuations when countries wished to redeem their dollars for gold.The solution was to stop inflating the dollar.

The solution was to stop inflating the dollar.The dollar inflation was stopped. But the imballance in evalutations remained. If given enough time a deflationary monetary policy on the part of the US would have corrected the imballance of evaluations, but BW also didn't provide any mechanism for forcing that.

The dollar inflation was stopped. But the imballance in evalutations remained. If given enough time a deflationary monetary policy on the part of the US would have corrected the imballance of evaluations, but BW also didn't provide any mechanism for forcing that.But the inflation should not have started under BW.

Smart people, A lot of people, Civil Rights, and Economy.

I think that another factor is the enormous cultural contribution the US has made to the world. Thumbs up for America!

The spirit of freedom is a strong thing and while we have a grasp of what it is individually, trying to explain it to others is difficult. It is truly an American phenomenon that started with a revolt against the then most powerful country on earth.
I think most people understand this, not just Americans. As Zeppistan said, don't assume that your people alone have a monopoly on the better aspects of the human spirit.

But the inflation should not have started under BW. Why not? At the time monetariansim was the accepted economic policy of governments. If a government wanted to boost the econmy, they pumped up the money supply. France alone went through at least 3 major inflations of their monetary supply while BW was in effect. (sorry to keep picking on France.) Now we have a better idea of how RW economies work and monetarism is rarly seen in first world nations, but at the time Monetarism was seen as a wonderful thing. Yet if monetary inflation had not happened in the US, the effect would have been inflation in the other BW nations, they would have had to inflate thier monetary supplies to purchase enough dollars to meet their needs, and the ratio of US dollars to gold would have wound up being something like $20US/ounce, and again BW had not provision to revalue the US dollar relative to gold and no way to force countries to keep inflation in check - in that case US dollars would have been in short supply and the US would have wound up with a shortage of dollars and oodles of gold it bought at the mandated $35US/ounce but could only sell on the market for $20US/ounce.

The reason for America's strength is not based upon the current population of America and its fortitude or military strength. America's power is due to the way in which we have successfully exploited the rest of the world and kept a monopoly on current technology so as to dominate the global market. The truth of the matter is that the true wealth of this country is found not in the farmers or agricultural base its found in our industry and in our cities. Take New York City, which is one of the most powerful cities in the world. However, if New York City were to be isolated by themselves all 8 million people would die in a matter of months. New York is successful because of the way it manages and exploits global wealth. We call for a global market so that poorer nations can buy our products and then we subsidize our industry so they can't compete. We plant bananas in Costa Rica and then pay the workers crap to grow it. Europe, too, has successfully exploited their place in the global marketplace and has all maintained a technological edge to sustain their higher level of industrial production. The only reason America is the only super power is that Europe isn't truly united and have smaller population. We no longer have the highest GDP per capita but we do have the highest GNP. Thus, our population, technological edge, and most importantly our global manipulation has placed us successfully atop the global pyramid.

It might be because they won that war against the english... or something else... but I still think it's because of that war... But ofcourse there can't be only one reason, but what I mean, is that I think that the victory from the english started the chain reaction...

...but I wonder what would world be like if the english would've won...

Best Military+Economy+Strong Government Structure+Fierce Nationalism=

American Success

Why not? At the time monetariansim was the accepted economic policy of governments. If a government wanted to boost the econmy, they pumped up the money supply. France alone went through at least 3 major inflations of their monetary supply while BW was in effect. (sorry to keep picking on France.) Now we have a better idea of how RW economies work and monetarism is rarly seen in first world nations, but at the time Monetarism was seen as a wonderful thing. Yet if monetary inflation had not happened in the US, the effect would have been inflation in the other BW nations, they would have had to inflate thier monetary supplies to purchase enough dollars to meet their needs, and the ratio of US dollars to gold would have wound up being something like $20US/ounce, and again BW had not provision to revalue the US dollar relative to gold and no way to force countries to keep inflation in check - in that case US dollars would have been in short supply and the US would have wound up with a shortage of dollars and oodles of gold it bought at the mandated $35US/ounce but could only sell on the market for $20US/ounce.The fact is, the US has an import/export deficit financed by inflation.

It's because Americans are an inferior race that has managed to take over the world by outdumbing the competition. Gorbachev essentially gave up without a fight because Ronald Reagan was just too stupid to fight.

The fact is, the US has an import/export deficit financed by inflation.I'll assume you mean had. The problem with this is the that the US had a positive BOT until 1968, the last year it was inflating the money supply, and a positive Ballance Of Payments until 1971, 3 years after it had stopped inflating the money supply.

same as title....

:eek: :sniper:

same as title....
(which is the us does increase inflation quite a bit)
:eek: :sniper:


Does anyone else think so???

Multinationals and corporations; world´s cancer.

I think everybody could say the same here in Europe.

LOL im just actually refreshing the thread;)

What i said in the quote....

Just refreshing the Thread!

Refreshing the Thread!

Our economy makes us powerful; our democracy keeps us going.

America's rivals were all heavily damaged by consecutive wars, neither of which were fought on American soil - or at least none of any real importance. The Soviet Union fell leaving America as the only 'true' superpower, however I put 'true' in inverted commas as there are some countries which America cannot afford to stand up to, such as China or an Allied Europe. Even thought these countries have not the power or economy of America, any war or stand off could be won by neither.

Just Here To RefreshThe Listing!