Posted on 07/21/2022 3:41:22 AM PDT by FarCenter
“I do not accept second place for the United States of America.” That simple statement, delivered to rousing effect by Barack Obama in his first State of the Union, in January 2010, managed to summarize the current American strategic horizon in a single sentence.
For decades, the United States has been in relative decline, facing the prospect of someday being overtaken by a rival power. Its main problem, however, is not the relative decline itself – it’s a natural phenomenon occurring as companies, sectors, regions and countries grow at uneven rates. Instead, its main problem is a failure to recognize this condition, whether out of pride, electoral calculation or simple lack of awareness.
In 1986, in his masterful "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers", Paul Kennedy explained that great powers rise and fall precisely because of their uneven growth: it is therefore the relationship between their varying growth rates that – “in the long run” – is decisive.
Apart from a few brief periods of recession, the United States has never stopped growing. Since the 1950s, however, it has grown at a slower rate than most of the rest of the world: thus, it has been in relative decline.
Between 1960 and 2020, its real GDP (i.e., in constant dollars) grew by a factor of five and a half times, but, in the same period, the GDP of the rest of the world was multiplied by eight and a half times: so while the US economy continued to grow in absolute terms, those of its rivals grew at a faster pace.
Moreover, if we compare the United States to its main rival, China, the growth gap is abysmal: while the US economy was growing by five and a half times, China was growing by 92 times.
(Excerpt) Read more at asiatimes.com ...
[“I do not accept second place for the United States of America.” That simple statement, delivered to rousing effect by Barack Obama]
LOL - the same guy who was openly reading “The Post-American World” in 2008 and has done everything in his power to wreck this nation; death by 10,000 cuts. And is still at it to this very day.
Correct. homobama didn't want 2nd place for America. xhe wanted to turn us into 58th place or lower, and jao bai dan is doing a heck of a job completing the work.
Yeah, he couldn’t be more obvious. That book stunt was in-your-face and the sheep just kept cheering and following.
$30 plus trillion dollar deficit and counting (we have past the point of sustainability given by 2030, projections have it we will be paying a trillion plus in interest) and no one thinks that the US is not in decline internationally, militarily, economically, industrially? Okie dokie.
past = passed.
My bad.
We have more 100 bases around the world. China has one. Once the chinks get at least 5, call me.
Our declined started in 1961 with JFK. His inauguration speech “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” should have thrown shock waves through our republic. It didn’t. From then on, it was 12 years of Vietnam, misery, mayhem, riots, anarchy in the streets, and now look where we are, on the verge of tyranny ripe with election fraud at all levels. Unless we reform our election processes and clean out the trash, democrats, this county will flounder and fall.
Thanks, free traitors. That could have been our growth, but you thought saving $.10 on communist made paint brushes was more important.
[[“I do not accept second place for the United States of America.” That simple statement, delivered to rousing effect by Barack Obama]]
Who,then proceeded to go around the globe partying and groveling to nationa that hate us, and enacting his “lead from behind “ nonsense
The "trash" you speak of is NOT limited to democrats. There is plenty of trash wearing the "R" brand as well. Our two party system has devolved to one of politicians vs America!
“Since the 1950s, however, it has grown at a slower rate than most of the rest of the world...”
That’s because since the 1950s, the U.S. has devoted more blood and treasure than any other country to the well-being of the “rest of the world.”
No, the rest of the world was destroyed. It took decades to rebuild to the point it could begin to compete
Of course the rate of growth was greater because the growth was from scratch
Well said!
The US must have some *legitimate* strengths but I’m not really sure what they are.
These pursuits are difficult, if not impossible, whilst preoccupied with defining what men and women are and how to refer to them etc.. The only question now is do we have enough time to pull the country's feet out of the toilet?
Yes, that would be true even if our corrupt government hadn’t adopted enormously destructive economic and other policies.
exactly, 2nd place is too high.
True. At the end of WW II the US was in a unique position. Over the previous 80 years we had settled and developed the 48 states; acquired Hawaii, Alaska and other possessions; developed a leading manufacturing base; collected the world's gold and financial assets by supplying the winning side in two world wars; and emerging with the only unscathed manufacturing infrastructure.
The problem is that since then, we have pretty much pissed it away on geopolitical adventures and high living.
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