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

[mass55th]

"Ready for the good news? China is like Enron with sovereignty and a few nuclear weapons."

Forget the century, China's having a bad year right now...SARS outbreak, failure to be forthcoming to the WHO, and now the loss of a submarine.

But perhaps the people of China are no different than those in the U.S. Because the economy was supposed to be so good, it didn't matter how incompetent or deceitful their leaders were.

[Mustang]

Please, take no offense...but, are you on drugs?

[Filibuster_60]

Seems like many of you assume that nations can't become stronger unless they become more Americanized. That may be fundamentally true but it has its limits. Who knows what kind of country a democratic or semi-democratic China would be? And be careful what you mean by "free" economy. In some respects China already has a very capitalistic economy - its labor-market flexibility would put a lot of wealthy Western economies to shame.

[Charliehorse]

I believe China will break apart in the next twenty years Any country that is as diverse and large as they are with an irrational government as they do don't stand a chance in the long run. Remember Japan was supposed to run over us and look at them now. Europe is too saddled with socialism to be much of a threat.

[breakem]

I think their government has an attitude that they can afford a lot of deaths. This is the old way. Unfortunately, they are trying to play globally and everyone else is trying to get them to do the right thing.

I defer you you on the j-curve model, so lets wait a month and check the numbers.

I do believe that over the century this will be a small blip.

[CyberAnt]

Pssst! x42 - the earth doesn't have 30 years - Jesus is coming before then - but x42 - you can hang around here and rule the world if you want - ME: I'm outta here!!!!!

[f.Christian]

the left equalizer from hell --- devils ...

... castro -- reno -- atta -- clinton -- osama -- waters --saddam -- rangel -- arafat -- hillary !

[breakem]

I agree with the no soul comment. I think however, they will be driven more and more by capitalism.

There was a book a few years ago that posited that the rural folks would revolt in China, similar to the start of the Mao thing. The country against the cities. This would lead to a break-up or a drastic reversal of the economic changes. Can't remember the title.

[Filibuster_60]

Yeah, SARS has been around since November. If it were really as bad as some have suggested - i.e. one person infecting whole office buildings by simply exhaling - simple exponential extrapolation would mean tens of millions of cases by now. IMO this indicates two possibilities:

1. SARS is not a genuine airborne virus that travels from nose to nose and mouth to mouth.

2. SARS virus has already touched a much bigger population than China admits, but for whatever reason it's life-threatening to only a small minority.

[okie01]

"Clinton is right. If our nation continues to erode lose its morals and values and the bleeding heart liberals take political control then we will lose our international standing to China or the EU."

Well, since it's already run by bleeding heart liberals, we know it won't be the EU.

[Dr. Frank fan]

It means I believe the economy will effect the government positively more than the government will be a negative factor.

That may be. A growing middle class, if that happens, could lead to significant reforms....

All I've been saying is that unless those reforms come one way or the other, I'm not ready to jump on the Inevitability Of China doctrine just quite yet.. ok?

[breakem]

Why the "no-deaths" in the US. Did we catch it early or is it our medical system or what? Isn't early detection the key. The Chinese have to have many of those cases.

[breakem]

kind of like betting on a horse race? C-YA

[longtermmemmory]

san francisco gay pride parades...

[dufekin]

...Europe's already formidable economy...

Huh? Compared to what? Antarctica?

No, stupid, America. The Governments of Europe have erected formidable bureaucratic red tape to economic progress. That's what it means (if it's telling the truth).

[Filibuster_60]

Sure, nothing can beat a system that's free and meritocratic. Unfortunately there will always be differences between nations as there are between individuals within a nation. The greatest danger I envision is China becoming a semi-democracy like Russia, or a "competitive dictatorship" if you will, or worst of all, a massive version of Singapore - complete with a massive world-class military. There's plenty of room for contradictions between China and the US, even if the former moves irreversibly in the right general direction.

[Consort]

[dufekin]

For some reason, no mention of India, the world's second most populous nation.

China ranks first, America third in this regard. Indonesia places fourth.