Is the U.S. still a 'Superpower" ?

[truthpusher]

Are we still a Superpower?

We can barely hold on to a single war against an almost defenseless country. Our back has been nearly broken by debt. China is about to explode economically. Europe is starting to ignore our influence.

As far as I can tell, our only upside is we have a lot more nukes than everybody else. Does this alone make us a 'Superpower'? I think by now everybody realizes that we will never use large scale nukes. With this fear gone from the world along with the realization that the US can not realistically invade anymore countries, where do we stand?

[elehhhhna]

1. Yes. We're still the only country to blast an A bomb.

[truthpusher]

4. But does that mean anything if we can't use it?

[elehhhhna]

13. Oh he'd use it, alright.

But probably on San Francisco...

[latteromden]

2. Well, we can blow stuff up. That may be this administration's definition

of "superpower."

But I don't think you can be a true superpower, or even a major country, if you have no standing internationally. In that sense, we're definitely not.

[truthpusher]

6. I agree, power is influence.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. yes

we are....

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. No

we are not...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,927712,00.html
On the steel torsos of their missiles, adolescent American soldiers scrawl colourful messages in childish handwriting: For Saddam, from the Fat Boy Posse. A building goes down. A marketplace. A home. A girl who loves a boy. A child who only ever wanted to play with his older brother's marbles.

On March 21, the day after American and British troops began their illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, an "embedded" CNN correspondent interviewed an American soldier. "I wanna get in there and get my nose dirty," Private AJ said. "I wanna take revenge for 9/11."

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. if we werent, it wouldnt be so easy for us to bully the world

but we do...all the time

[Chipper Chat]

5. "Realistically" or not ....

Bush is hell-bent on conquering the entire middle-east. We will continue to invade other countries (Syria, Iran, Turkey, Kuwait, Lebanon) until the American people, EVEN NEOCON-CHRISTIANS, have had enough. The killing of our young boys will continue until this "president" is stopped in his tracks. I dont see that happening until 2008 when please Lord - let a Democrat be elected!

[truthpusher]

7. By 2008 we will be weakened to a pulp.

[LSparkle]

8. Superpower, schmuperpower

Yes, we are the most "powerful" in terms of weaponry, but who cares about that when we're losing our influence diplomatically, economically, morally, in every sense? It's typical "caveman"-speak to boast of being "the world's one remaining superpower" when all that means is you're the bully with the biggest club -- doesn't mean we have the most civilized society or the highest standard of living or anything that implies greatness.

[Johonny]

9. No

Richard Reeves had a good editorial on this pre-election.

[EmpireWeAre]

11. Morally No

Militarily, yes by a wide margin.

Culturally, yes, we carpet bomb.

[Placebo]

14. Of course we are.

I mean, c'mon.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

17. We are a shell of a country that has been supplanted by corporate monarchs

sewn into the fabric of our once great democracy... we are a corporatenation.

Fighting terrorist, capturing them... imprisoning them.. even killing them... IS NOT PROFITABLE. Invading and occupying nation states is... and it is only for friends of the WH. A superpower would not bend to the whims of multi-national corporations. A superpower would tell them to go to hell.

A superpower would do what is right, not what is profitable. A superpower doesn't have to trick its people into war, doesn't have to defend rampant failure within its administration, doesn't have to bully everyone and everything to get its way.

A superpower is more that bunker busters and titan missiles. A superpower is respected around the world, not loathed as we are today.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1887208046.01._PIdp-schmooS,TopRight,7,-26_PE32_SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1887208046/qid=1103675561/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/103-0803243-2995044
When Corporations Rule the World
by David C. Korten "THE LAST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY has been perhaps the most remarkable period in human history..."
From Publishers Weekly
This well-documented, apocalyptic tome describes the global spread of corporate power as a malignant cancer exercising a market tyranny that is gradually destroying lives, democratic institutions and the ecosystem for the benefit of greedy companies and investors. Korten (Getting to the 21st Century) points out his conservative roots and business credentials?and then proceeds to finger such classic conspiracy-theory scapegoats as the Trilateral Commission and Council on Foreign Relations as the planning agents of the new world economic order he decries. Korten, founder of the People-Centered Development Forum, prescribes a reordering of developmental priorities to restore local control and benefits. Suggested reforms include shifting tax policies to punish greed and reward social responsibility, placing a 100% reserve requirement on demand deposits at banks and closing the World Bank, which he claims encourages indebtedness in nations that can't afford it.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

[Placebo]

22. Being labeled a Superpower has nothing to do with any of that...

"Fighting terrorist, capturing them... imprisoning them.. even killing them... A superpower would not bend to the whims of multi-national corporations. A superpower would tell them to go to hell.

A superpower would do what is right, not what is profitable. A superpower doesn't have to trick its people into war, doesn't have to defend rampant failure within its administration, doesn't have to bully everyone and everything to get its way.

A superpower is more that bunker busters and titan missiles. A superpower is respected around the world, not loathed as we are today."

Sad, but true.

[mcscajun]

15. Militarily, yes...for now. Economically, we're on the downhill slide...

We had our time in the sun last century. We're done now...time to dwindle.

:(

[Chipper Chat]

21. Bush & Company have fatally wounded the United States of America

It's time to move on. California, Oregon, Washington State, and even Nevada (if they can be coaxed into it) should form a new country - "Pacifica"-maybe?
The northeast from Minnesota to Maine (we'll take DC too) can be a new free country. The wealth, intellect and humanity are here to make it go. We can align ourselves with Canada which is more progresssive.
Leave Jesusland to suffocate on it's tired, hateful, and discriminatory way of life. We would again BE FREE! Amen.

[cali]

16. Yes. A superpower on steroids and angel dust.

And totally out of control. It's not just the nukes. We have the most powerful well equiped military in the world. Of course, the way bushco's been using it, and assuming he's going to continue on the primrose pnac path, almost guarantees that it will be degraded.

[truthpusher]

23. nice image!

[PurityOfEssence]

18. Oh, we're a superduperpower, and don't you forget it.

Yeah, so we don't have that many land forces, we've got oodles of hardware and the Carrier Groups to project all sorts of power.

Not all the money's been wasted, and the military's done some very sensible things, like the simplification of fuel supplies and such.

[Lone Pawn]

19. We're not growing as fast as we used to be, but we're still far ahead.

We're still a hyperpower, guys. Within a decade, we'll be merely a superpower next to superpower China and mini-superpower EU, but a superpower none the less.

[Zech Marquis]

20. to paraphrase my man Snake Pulskin

"Superpower of WHAT?" :eyes: