Clinton: China or Europe Will Replace U.S. as Top Power

NewsMax.com ^ | 5/02/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

Ex-president Bill Clinton predicted this week that either Communist China, which helped bankroll his 1996 reelection campaign with hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal contributions, or the European Union, would replace the United States as the world's number one power within the next 30 years.

"In all probability, we won't be the premier political and economic power we are now," Clinton told the Washington Post in an interview from Mexico on Thursday. Saying the shift would occur within "a few decades," the ex-president cited the growth of China's economy and Europe's already formidable economy as factors that would doom continued U.S. supremacy.

Clinton said the question of whether China or Europe would replace the United States depended on how their respective governments invested in military might. While Europe's defense investment has been minimal since World War II, China now has the fastest growing military budget in the world.

In 1996, the Clinton administration approved the transfer to Beijing of key missile guidance technology which enabled China to hit most major U.S. cities with its intercontinental ballistic missile fleet.

Clinton offered his prediction to the Post in an attempt to clarify comments he made to an Australian audience in February, where he warned "This is a unique moment in U.S. history, a brief moment in history, when the U.S. has preeminent military, economic and political power. It won't last forever. This is just a period, a few decades this will last."

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

China/Taiwan
Clinton Scandals

[breakem]

I've even prayed for him to be held accountible, but still waiting. He will be a foreign agent the rest of his life. More money in it for this piece of trailer trash traitor. Just a bigger, more treacherous, version of Kissenger and the others who represent other governments against the interest of the US.

[laredo44]

Until China becomes a democracy, they are doomed....Only a free people will have the determination needed to withstand the massive America military might, and we don't fight with free people....

Some time ago, I asked if anyone could cite an instance where two democracies fought against each other. The only answer I got was the war between the states.

[nanny]

Clinton did his best to turn the USA into a 2nd-rate power.

Clinton? All by himself?

Let's see the invasion from Mexico is still coming in, the exportation of jobs is still happening, more and more jobs are being lost, the importation of workers is still going on, the trade deficit with China and Mexico is still going on. Is there no way Pres. Bush can put the brakes on this? I would think he could - but actually he has encouraged our problems with Mexico and its people and didn't he make China most favored nation. Clinton? He certainly deserves his share of blame - but I see an acceleration rather than a braking on this situation.

[TrueBeliever9]

The Clintons (as in the one elected president and the one who was co-president) certainly did everything in their power to ensure that china would surpass the US with all the US technology they could get to china.

[laredo44]

Why aren't these same people all talking about it being India's century etc etc? In their minds there is something mystical and magical about China.

You are right. And in this instance the magic has a source and a reason. The source is the leftist press; the reason is communism.

The rest of us are waiting for them to grow up.

[nanny]

He may have engineered it - but President Bush is providing the fuel. We will never get anywhere in this country if we don't stop crying about Clinton - he is gone - yes he left a legacy - and it is up to the one in the WH to change it. As far as Mexico goes, Presdent Bush has opening encouraged the immigration and has played footsy with Fox and given in to every demand Fox has made. He has allowed Fox to bulldoz our sovereignty away in chunks.

What would the Republicans have said about the matricula cards, the SS for Mexico, allowing Fox to speak to the Congress and make demands of the American government, Fox giving dual citizenship (and the PREsident saying nothing), just what would have been said by the Republicans? Somehow I don't think it would have been the silence we hear now.

[jackbill]

Repeat after me:

Clinton is an irrelevant asshole.

Clinton is an irrelevant asshole.

[nanny]

Oh, no - we have a right to our cheap (at any price) junk. Beside we only send them green paper in exchange - we are coming out on the big end of the stick - honest we are - honest ---

[ffusco]

I have no leadership position, yet I serve still.

I don't dispute that morals are declining, but the idea that our moral decline will lead to a Sino or European pre-eminence is silly. First of all it is Unlikely that Europe will ever muster the will to use its power even if they decided to acquire power. Secondly European culture is not a "commodity" like American culture and that is not going to change in 30 years- especially since English is the main language for diplomacy and commerce. And lastly the Chinese and Euro's need our markets to gain power. So any decline in our "spending power" will cripple their chances of reaching parity with us.

[jackbill]

Who should know better than the man who single handedly had the most to do with it?

His "single hand" was busy working a bent member over the sink adjacent to the Oval Office.

[laredo44]

Sorry to disappoint you ... they won't be where I am ...??

How do you know?

[bruinbirdman]

Does Clinton have a favorite in the neo-com primaries?

"...a Dean remark that America 'won't always have the strongest military' "

yitbos

[laredo44]

You misunderstand when I say manage the economy. I mean they will fail if they make stupid decisions and hinder the development of capitalism. I cited capitalism earlier and I mean that in the truest meaning, not that the government would be pulling all the strings. You've heard that he manages best who manages least?

My misunderstanding, my apology. Fair enough?

[maui_hawaii]

One thing is for sure, her and I both hold a very common interest.

[CyberAnt]

Trust me ... I know!!

[breakem]

no problem, C-YA

[laredo44]

I have no leadership position, yet I serve still.

If it's any consolation, I can see your butt when i look up. ;^)

[ffusco]

LOL! Rise citizen!

[ffusco]

Hmmm.....They sell us cheap durable goods for bits of paper propped up by "consumer confidence."

Who is being snookered?

[patriciaruth]

They all come from CHINA. Including the strain of flu that killed more people than died in WWI.

I don't know where you got the idea that the Swine flu virus came from China. There is some excellent research that indicates patient zero was a draftee farm boy from a western U.S. State who spread it at his basic training camp in the midwest before the end of WWI.

It is the mix of people with animals that generally makes a virus that becomes a pandemic; and that can happen on a farm anywhere in the world, not just China. However, as they are one of the most populous farming people on Earth, then statistically they are more likely to be involved, but it ain't a given.