No we can't? UK think tank says US power is fading AP

[johnnie]

LONDON – A weakened United States could start retreating from the world stage without help from its allies abroad, an international strategic affairs think tank said Tuesday.

The respected London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said President Barack Obama will increasingly have to turn to others for help dealing with the world's problems — in part because he has no alternative.

The report said the U.S. struggles against insurgent groups in Iraq and Afghanistan had exposed the limits of the country's military muscle, while the near-collapse of the world financial markets sapped the economic base on which that muscle relied.


<snip>

In addition to a rise in regional powers, Niblett said the U.S. has long been viewed as being part of the problem rather than the solution on many issues — including climate change, the financial crisis, and the failure of the Middle East peace process.


More:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090915/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_us_power


We all know who is to blame for this...no?

[RKP5637]

1. In eight years the US sank so low.

I will never cease to be amazed at how far the US sank during Bush's eight years. I think the UK think tank is right on target. It's hard for the US to play catchup now. The rest of the world is moving past us. Even on health care we are having a hard time catching up. We used to be a country that bonded together and moved forward. Now it seems this country thrives on controversy and not a small element thrives on believing Fox News distortions, for example. I'm appalled at how much of this country enjoys being ignorant.

[lyonn]

5. How true, We Dems held our breath for 8 years knowing things

could get worse and sure enough it did. And all those strange people that went along with the Bush Doctrine.

Once again the repubs will cut off their religious nose to spite the Dems when it comes to health care.

[WCGreen]

7. At least Sarah Palin didn't go along with the Bush Doctrine....

:sarcasm:

[lyonn]

9. Thanks WCG, I needed a laugh!

[RKP5637]

13. LOL!!!

:) :)

[depakid]

20. A quick kick for Palin!

:dem:

[closeupready]

2. Meanwhile, they've made NO reforms to the financial system that led to the collapse of the economy.

n/t

[Romulox]

4. I kept checking all over the internet yesterday for Obama's bold new financial regs...

:wtf:

[lyonn]

3. When you start stupid wars this is what happens.

It was explained by HW Bush and co. why we shouldn't take over Iraq in the first invasion. Brainless George was Determined! Someone told him so! Go get 'em George. They dissed your daddy.

[Aristus]

6. I was horrified to see us become the 'can't do' nation.

We won WWII, put men on the moon, invented the Salk vaccine, and built the highest standard of living in the world, all due to an indomitable can-do attitude.

Nowadays, we have people (Republicans, a lot of them) saying: "We can't do this; it's too expensive (or hard, or time-consuming, or liberal, or European, or socialist, or elitist,or whatever...)" and nothing ever gets done. At least not by us. The rest of the world is going to pass us by, and we will do nothing about it.

[Deja Q]

8. Not as much republicans; I know plenty on both parties that say "that costs too much".

This transcends politics.

Short-term greed combined with being cheap seems closer to the target. Why else do corporations move out jobs to other countries, with subsidized training? (Are Americans truly stupid? Not when the quality of offshored goods is, frankly, worse, yet costs for them keep going up anyway.)

:shrug:

[lyonn]

10. "That costs too much" -what is the alternative?

I am truly in the average range of the IQ test, I'm pretty sure, yet I see that Obama's public option will save money in the long run. Giving the insurance companies total control of our health care is scary. When there is no competition the cost goes up. What am I missing here? I have medicare and I can choose my Dr., the lies are being spread and that ends up making America weaker. Why should health care control so much of our economy?

[RKP5637]

17. Over the years corporations have been slowly taking control of the country.

The way we finance elections none want to buck the corporate interests. The politicians get funding from various corporations, many are reluctant to bite the hand that feeds them. It is a horrible situation and not in the best interest of the country.

I have Medicare too and it works perfectly in my opinion. The lies many in this country believe as truths is incredible. I am fearful of what this country well might eventually become if so many are so very gullible on the health care distortions championed by the health care industry.

As someone said (approximately) on some web site, maybe this one, "you can be sure health care corporate CEOs and Directors are sitting back congratulating themselves and drinking toasts on how the right of this country is in a feeding frenzy believing all of the distortions and in effect supporting the status quo of ripoffs to Americans by the current health care industry."

Just how much dumber can many citizens get.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. So it is not just us crazies on the web talking of the end of empire

it is also the crazies at a British Think Tank.

By the way... EMPIRES DO NOT JUST COLLAPSE. Bush hastened it, but the process started with Reagan...

Those who know history...

And now to to the next phase, including the possible break up or an honest to goodness Civil War... and for those thinking that civil wars require uniformed sides and set battles, forget that romantic view of war... they are not that simple any longer.

[RKP5637]

18. Absolutely correct on Reagan starting the mess!

When Reagan came in and started talking Reaganomics and his inane trickle down of wealth, and Gingrich started with his Moral Majority, I knew the US was headed for deep do-do. They managed to harness the ignorant power of the US.

I'm wondering now if we are over the tipping point. The political hostilities in this country seem to escalate each day. Many sadly act like they are still fighting a civil war. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is going to walk right by the US as we slip lower and lower into a third world with this nonsense. Civilizations generally last only so many years, and I truly think Bush and company certainly hastened some potentially bad times ahead.

[Posteritatis]

12. Part of it's the US declining, but part's also other countries coming up

There's a lot of grey areas in stuff like this, much as people like to condense it to simplistic "Cheney did it!" or "Obama will reverse it!" type soundbites.

The interesting scenario will be seeing what happens in a few decades with there are other powers with an equivalent economic, industrial or military power as the United States, relatively speaking.

[treestar]

14. This does not sound entirely bad

We could do with a little humility. Just be a country, instead of trying to run the world.

[Aristus]

15. Being just one nation among many again will be the best thing for us.

For one thing, we'll be much less likely to get involved in little shitpot wars that blow up in our faces like Korea, Vietnam, Central America, Iraq, etc. No longer to be the world's policeman, or neighborhood bully. How sweet that would be...

[RKP5637]

19. AGREE!!!!!!!!!

Some have said the US has become a bully and I have a hard time not agreeing.

[depakid]

16. Doesn't really take a think tank to figure that one out

Paul Kennedy noted as much in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict back in the mid 1980's.

From the Wiki summary:

Kennedy argues that the strength of a Great Power can only be properly measured relative to other powers and he provides a straightforward and persuasively argued thesis: Great Power ascendency (over the long-term or in specific conflicts) correlates strongly to available resources and economic durability; military "over-stretch" and a concomitant relative decline is the consistent threat facing powers whose ambitions and security requirements are greater than their resource base can provide for (summarized on pages 438–9).

Throughout the book he reiterates his early statement (page 71): "Military and naval endeavors may not always have been the raison d'être of the new nations-states, but it certainly was their most expensive and pressing activity", and it remains such until the power's decline.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Great_Powers

[Rex]

21. Fuck you George Bush.

I mean seriously, what the fuck. Why did we ever let that moran ruin America?