US Suffers Decline In Power And Prestige, Survey Reveals

[Purveyor]

Source: Financial Times

The US has suffered a significant loss of power and prestige around the world in the years since George W. Bush came to power, limiting its ability to influence international crises, an annual survey from a well-regarded British security think-tank concluded yesterday.

The 2007 strategic survey from the non-partisan International Institute for Strategic Studies picks the decline of US authority as one of the most important security developments of the past year - but suggests the fading of American prestige began earlier, largely due to its failings in Iraq.

--
The deterioration of American power had led to a "non-polar" world in which other actors, such as Russia, had been able to assert themselves.

The report says the US failure in Iraq had meant the Bush administration suffered from a much-reduced ability to hold sway in both domestic and international affairs.



Read more: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0d6ac3f8-6191-11dc-bf25-0000779fd2ac.html

[movonne]

1. Well duh!

[Purveyor]

2. Don't you just feel like breaking out into song of "I'm proud to be an American"?

I weep for what we have become.

[supernova]

3. Beat me to it!

My exact response. Well D'uh!!

[jlake]

4. Tragic But Deserved

As unfortunate as it is, it is well deserved.
This nation has lost its way.

[melody]

14. What did you and your family do to cause this? n/t

[bdamomma]

16. welcome to DU jlake

we have also lost our soul, we are the only ones to get it back.

[ryanus]

5. big surpruse there. still, it's sad

[alittlelark]

6. ....sniff..sniff....

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[xxqqqzme]

7. in our hearts we know this...but we can hope

"...The report concludes that "the restoration of American strategic authority seemed bound to take much longer than the mere installation of a new president".

[SleeplessinSoCal]

8. GWB is going to be busy running in and out of libraries....

...around the globe. He'll have to hire PR people from now til doomsday. WHOOOPS! Didn't like the sound of that.... :(

[krkaufman]

9. Isn't it just grand that PNAC's quest to thwart any possible rivals for power ...

... has resulted in the polar opposite happening. Russia, China and Iran are all rising, while the US, its economy, and currency are fading.

(And they only had to kill a million+ people to make it happen.)

[truthisfreedom]

10. What do you expect from a cokehead dry-drunk?

His brain is jelly. There was no hope for America once he got in power.

[Indenturedebtor]

11. Maybe just maybe

Our spectacular fall will be the catalyst for the reforms that our society has so long needed. These shames and tragedies have long been working their way to the surface.

It's time to pop the pimples of right wing policy for our progressive future. Forward or backwards I say: progressive or conservative.

[ClintonTyree]

12. Who'd a thunk it?

That our great pResident, Mr. "uniter, not a divider", has not only alienated the entire world against the U.S. but has divided the country into an "us against them" clusterfuck as well. The man who had the support of the entire world after 9/11 has managed to fracture that support and turn the U.S. into the most hated country on earth. Heck-of-a-job, Bushie!

This country cannot survive 495 more days of the Bush pResidency. IMPEACH NOW!

[tom_paine]

13. Article shows Failing to Drink Water Makes You Thirsty

Well, no fucking DUH!

That article is...an...UNDERSTATEMENT.

[melody]

15. Good, let someone else be the most powerful, hated nation

Maybe then we can pay for health care for our people and take care of our kids instead of playing policeman to the world.