Posted by iceburn on 2/23/2004, 5:35 pm, in reply to "Fall of American Empire" The hypothesis is not that the fall and decline of the US Empire implies a fall and decline of the US Republic (continental USA). To the contrary, relief from the burden of Empire control and maintenance when it outstrips the gains from unequal exchange, and expansion increases rather than decreases the deficit, could lead to a blossoming of the US Republic. This author admits an anti-Empire bias because of enormous periphery suffering outside and inside the Republic; and a pro-US Republic bias because of the creative genius and generosity of the USA. "Anti-American" makes no such distinction between the US Republic and the US Empire. Yeah, he might be right, but he also might be wrong. We should revisit this in ten years, maybe. My views on the U.S.'s power today and ten years from now will have certainly changed by then. As he explains, the U.S. is infinitely more complex than the Soviet Union (which he says he successfully predicted the collapse of) and with this complexity comes a checks and balance system that maintains a certain homeostasis that is beneficial and harmful to different world governments, at the same time. We'll always have friends and allies, and we'll always have enemies. The ability of the U.S. to adapt to growing world resentment and financial and economic interests is yet to be seen. I know that there is no change in the current U.S. academic economics programs as of right now, and we can pretty much expect the exploitation of weaker countries to continue unabated until some more powerful movement presents itself. The author expects this organization to be the U.N. (his preference) or an organized EU Army/Republic thing. We'll see. On another note, I hear this kind of speculation every day at college. My REAL opinion right now is that most arguments, including this one, are shaky at best. Just my two cents though. Doesn't really mean anything. Thank you for your time, Iceburn --Previous Message--
161.45.162.158
Well, he kind of sums it up here:
: Have you heard about peace professor Johan
: Galtung. He claims in this article that the
: American empire will cease to exist within
: 2020.
:
: http://www.transnational.org/forum/meet/2004/Galtung_USempireFall.html
: I am not an american, therefore I wonder
: what's your opinion about that. Is it
: possible, that USA can maintain their role in
: the world for years to come, or is Galtung
: right? Will the american empire come to an
: end, just like the Soviet and the British?
: What is your opinion?
:
:
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