>> we the USA, have been successful thus far in "getting our way" around most of the world.
This has been true so far, but the reasons for it are not fully understood by most people and therefore the continuation for such success cannot be planned by them. US success has been due to a number of factors, some by design, and some by sheer luck. Some of these factors IMO are:
(1) The "peace" dividend; having a land protected by two vast oceans and no hostile neighbors allowed America to progress at its own pace rather having to worry about wars and outside interventions as was the case with Europeans, Ottomans, Persians, etc.
(2) A fresh and better start. At the time of its creation, the US constitution was the best constitution anywhere. Founding fathers learned from the mistakes of Europeans and created something better. I personally think that the US constitution is currently the best constitution around and that the underlying ideal expressed in it and in the Declaration should be aspired to by people everywhere. I also think that the text is somewhat out of step with the times, but that is for another discussion.
(3) A willingness to accept other nations and to incorporate the best they had to offer.
(4) Sheer luck that burned all the major powers in the first half of 20th century to the ground and allowed USA to fill in the power vacuum; being at the right place at the right time.
The world is changing and these factors can no longer be counted upon to propel US into the future. (1) is clearly not true anymore. For example, Israeli lobby has been very successful at making Israel's problems US' problems. Nor do the oceans protect America as they once did. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, in an increasingly interdependent world US cannot remain indifferent to the wants of others. As a very simple example, if the rest of the world had the will to suddenly stop accepting USD, America as you know would end within a year and without them firing a single shot.
(2) is also somewhat debatable, though not as much. I am a libertarian at heart and believe in the maximum amount of freedom for everyone. At the time the Constitution was drafted kings ruled supreme and government had far more power than any other entity in their lands. Presently big corporations are the most powerful entities, something that would have been inconceivable 200 years ago. Nor are these corporation entirely American. Rather than having a government of the people for the people, we are now fast approaching the era of corporate tyranny with government as the enforcer of the will of big business...despite all this, the US constitution still remains the best in the world, in my not-expert opinion. It is just that I think it needs to come in tune with times.
(3) This remains a source of strength for America, albeit at a slowing rate.
(4) Obviously this does not last forever. There is a limited window of opportunity to shape the world for the better for US and the rest of humanity. This window is closing fast. To see it and to use it takes real courage and vision. The United States is uniquely qualified to make the change for the better, though the evidence is not encouraging that it will do so.
The short answer is this: the rule of law should prevail around the world. International affairs cannot remain a free for all jungle forever, especially as the world become more and more interdependent. One way or another, the same forces that made marauding tribes to unite to form national governments around the world will force creation of larger blocks (EU, SEA, India-Pakistan-Iran, Arab World, etc). So long as US fails to see this as inevitable and views it as a threat it should fight rather than as an evolutionary trend it should join, America will lose. Since right now US is the strongest single country and does not have to join the trend just yet, it has leverage to shape the wave better, but not if it is fighting.
As to the rest of your post, sorry, I don't fully agree. See my short comments just to highlight different perspectives:
>> We are the worlds foremost leader in Economic pursuit, trade, technology...
Not only this is debatable, it is even debatable if this is a good thing. For example, when it comes to computer vision, Europe is well ahead of US. They are also a lot more efficient in their operations. Their people get more vacations and suffer from much less stress and enjoy their lives more.
>> We offer our citizens more freedoms than any other country...
This is not true. It can be said that US offers some freedoms while others offer other freedoms, but I don't think it is as clear cut as you make it to be. For example, take a look a the case of Judith Miller vs. DoJ. Here you have the government wanting to put a journalist in jail to reveal a source for an article she did NOT write! They are also looking at her phone records and want her to reveal other contact info. In contrast, in Sweden it is against the law for a reporter to reveal confidential sources.
Miller is an investigative reporter for the New York Times who was leaked the identity of a CIA operative whose husband had been scathingly critical of President Bush's case for going to war.
Miller never published an article, although others did, suggesting that the White House had leaked the information as an act of retribution. Her name came up after the Justice Department appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the potentially illegal leak. The prosecutor demanded that Miller and a Time magazine reporter testify before a grand jury, and when they refused, the judge in the case sentenced them both to a year and a half in the slammer.
>> We offer our citizens and the citizens of the world more in the way of Disaster Relief, Foreign Aid, Medical support, etc...
Again not so, unless perhaps you are talking in absolute dollar amount rather than per-capita or percentage of GDP. But even in absolute dollar amount, it is not true that US contributes the most to the world.
>> Our, USA, SOL and way of life is revered and envied around the world...
As a person who has traveled extensively around the world (and spends months outside the US every year) I can tell you this is patently false.
>> I see China and India on the geopolitical horizon as a formidable threat to our prevailing world dominance. I would rather think of them as a trading partner but have questions of how that would work while trying to maintain our present glorious SOL and WOL...
I get the impression that by dominance you mean "control". Control is an illusion. Nothing lasts forever, least of all control. But there are grave dangers ahead. If we use our present position to establish better international institutions and global rule of law that is acceptable to all, then when the day comes that we lose our dominant position we will be in a good position. If on the other hand we convince the world that might is right, then it is more likely that our noses will be rubbed into it when that day comes.
Sun Tzu |
