NationStates Jolt Archive

America is currently the worlds lone Superpower (better called a "Hyperpower" at this point) but the signs of collapse are already written on the wall. A ballooning national debt combined with an overstretched military, the job exportation to various South East Asian Countries, growing numbers of people living either in poverty or on the edge of poverty, a growing disinterest in politics are all signs that America's place in power is weakening and will soon be overshadowed by others.

But who are these others? Let's look at the current candidates.

China
(The) European Union
India

China- Has a booming economy but is plagued with administration problems, environmental issues, and as China's old guard is forced to use more and more repression to keep it's power it feeds the fuel for an ugly backlash in the future.

European Union- Again a booming economy but is plagued with administration problems, immigration issues (Arabs), race issues (Arabs), and an over choked bureaucracy that can't even agree on what color to paint a plane! (this is literally true, the bureaucrats are STILL debating if the new EU plans should be more blue or more gold!)

India- A booming economy but is plagued with a severe lack of infrastructure, environmental issues, and is involved in a nuclear standoff (perhaps better called a "Mini Cold War") with Pakistan.

My money is on India because of all these three it has a booming middle class, a coherent culture, a functioning democracy, and isn't run by a bunch of tyrants or bureaucrats.

But that is just my opinion I could be wrong.

I suggest you start learning some Mandarin.

immigration issues (Arabs), race issues (Arabs)

Arabs are nothing to do with Europe’s problems a new rise of nationalism however is

I for one think the U.S isn’t going to lose its position soon it would take something very drastic to happen to take the U.S down that being said the E.U is very much a superpower (albeit if you consider it a nation its one of the strangest ever seen) and all it takes to bring the E.U together is for something very drastic to happen

So the white man is likely to last a little while longer yet:)

You know all those symptoms that America is collapsing have been in full force since the end of WWII. Especially the job exporting one. The jobs that are moving to Asia weren't even in the US previously, anyway. They were in Mexico and Central America.

So the white man is likely to last a little while longer yet:)

Shh, you'll just encourage Ny Nordland!

The US has a strong economy, so it's not going anywhere. When it comes to economics, the US is going to be around for a long time, especially when you consider that virtually all economic indicators are at their highest levels either in history or at levels similar to the 1990's boom.

We're not going to collapse, our economy is just going to grow more and more intertwined and interdependent limiting our ability to project power. However, in some ways the US is becoming more dominant, at least in a nominal sense. For example, the NYSE/Nasdaq have evolved from US stock indices to world stock indices; most local stock exchanges are gradually being folded in to these groups, and more and more companies worldwide prefer to use our system. The US economy and financial system has the openness, efficiency, liquidity and regulatory framework to become a world financial system, at least within equity and commodity markets.

What's going to happen is the US will grow, the world will grow, and we'll become increasingly interdependent on the rest of the world. At the same time, they will become even more interdependent on us. The final result is that the US is no longer a superpower, and neither is anyone else; there will likely be no superpower after the US but rather regional powers and international alliances (like NATO). Eventually, they might change until there is another superpower, but currently the trend is towards the death of the "world supowerpower", at least in to the foreseeable future.

China: Most likely long term goal is to become the regional hegemon, instead of a global hegemon. This aspiration is greatly challenged by other strong states in the region who desire to remain independent of the somewhat more coercive Chinese power. Both Japan and South Korea have intense national animosities towards China (and China returns the favor), not to mention the ferociously independent Vietnamese, who fought one fucker of a war against the PRC in the seventies. Oh, and don't forget the Taiwanese, and their constant threats to secede from the PRC, and the vast Russian strategic nuclear stockpile to the north.

The European Union: Is not a state, and will not be a creature of any semblance of one until they achieve a unified nuclear command. Even beyond that, the governments of the EU are having a rough time integrating the minority groups into mainstream society, and the public is overburdened with a welfare state, and the amount of money that would be required to maintain a US-sized military would be very damaging to the economy in general.

India: Lacking in Infrastructure, but is developing, but this will take time. Extreme long term chance. Seventy-plus years.

All three have rather notable problems, and at the same time, the US economy is booming, the military is sorting out it's problems and there's only two years left in the Bush presidency. Globalization has not harmed the American economy, as the OP made claim, instead it has strengthened it, forcing American manufacturing to adopt radically more efficient manufacturing processes. The national debt is a problem, but it is fixable, by drastic cuts in government spending in several areas, specifically foolish entitlement programs, random porkbarrel spending and reductions in the strategic nuclear arsenal would be beneficial.

I have seen the future, and it is frightening.

The next world power will be Greater Scandinavia. Don't let the Norwegians, Swedes and Danes fool you. They are lulling the world into a false sense of security, before the next wave of pillaging vikings come. This time, their longboats will be outfitted with a new and exclusively scandinavian technology, and they will strike without warning, anywhere in the world.

No one is safe. Practice your ABBA dances.

I have seen the future, and it is frightening.

The next world power will be Greater Scandinavia. Don't let the Norwegians, Swedes and Danes fool you. They are lulling the world into a false sense of security, before the next wave of pillaging vikings come. This time, their longboats will be outfitted with a new and exclusively scandinavian technology, and they will strike without warning, anywhere in the world.

No one is safe. Practice your ABBA dances.

Should I grow myself a nice, long blonde beard and join up with them?

http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/cartoons/green_lantern_rebirth5.jpg

I call Green Lantern!!

Should I grow myself a nice, long blonde beard and join up with them?

Your saga will be told for generations to come.

I'll buddy up to the finns through some wicked power metal, then when they take over, I'll push to administer france.

Then I nuke scandinavia, and take over the world!

The death of power metal as we know it is a price to pay, but it will all be for the better.

I suggest you start learning some Mandarin.

好主意。 (Good idea.)

You forgot somebody, Ill give you a hint though, its somewhere on THIS map:
http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/travel/dg/maps/e5/750x750_russia_m.gif

Another hint, its not in Scandanavia or Central Asia.
And its name doesnt start with an 'M'.
And it hasnt been mentioned in this thread so far.
Give up?

Russia is getting back on its feet quite handily after their experiment in capitolism. A slightly less liberal version appears to have taken its place in power now and, as the mafia is losing power (although theyre moving to the US now >_>), and Russia still has the ability to destroy the planet a bajillion times, especially since ITS nukes are more powerful (if less accurate) than the US stockpile.
IMO, Russia is ready to make a comeback, especially if OPEC decides to start acting up.
I bet Russian oil companies rub their hands together and shout 'GLEE!' every time OPEC cuts production.

Also, one might take note of increased Russo-Chinese cooperation, those two would be rather unstoppable, IMO, in a war. And with the Russian fleet on its side, the Chinese inability to move troops overseas vanishes.

Meh, just speculation on my part.

Mark my words, the EU will never become as strong or advanced as the USA is or the USSR was. As for India and China, let me put it this way: It's nothing personal, it's just business. They're in it for the money and nothing more. That doesn't mean that what they're doing is bad, in fact it's good to see them finally getting ahead and joining the first world. The more the merrier! But the EU sucks. Donkey balls. Hard.

Mark my words, the EU will never become as strong or advanced as the USA is or the USSR was. As for India and China, let me put it this way: It's nothing personal, it's just business. They're in it for the money and nothing more. That doesn't mean that what they're doing is bad, in fact it's good to see them finally getting ahead and joining the first world. The more the merrier! But the EU sucks. Donkey balls. Hard.

The EU isn't much different than the USSR, in some respects. Its just slightly more balkanized. If it got its stuff together, it would be quite like it. Military wise(economically, probably already surpasses the old USSR), the french/germans/british are like russia, spain/italy/greece are like hungary/czech, and the rest... well, most of the rest of the EU is the old warsaw pact :P