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September 04, 2007
Bet On America?
We're getting back into the flow after a light-blogging holiday weekend.
One interesting piece from Sunday's Washington Post that caught our eye was Bet on America, by Joel Achenbach.
In it, Achenbach takes on the oft-made argument these days that the United States is an empire in decline. He cites a number of recent books and essays on the subject (though he omits two thoughtful ones we've read, by Kevin Phillips and Clyde Prestowitz) that say America's glory days are behind it and darker days lie ahead.
Not so fast, according to Achenbach. Yes, he concedes, the U.S. faces myriad problems that threaten its long-term hegemony -- growing income inequality and environmental degradation among them -- but his conclusion is that America is likely to remain dominant because it is, relatively speaking, in far better overall shape than any potential usurper on the global stage. China, Japan, Russia, and the major EU countries have a long way to go to catch the U.S. economically, and are beset by their own problems that make claiming the superpower mantle difficult at best.
Achenbach's admonition is to stop the gloom and doom, and "double down" on betting America will remain the world's top dog for decades to come. Time will tell, but it's an interesting argument.
Posted by houtopia at September 4, 2007 06:26 PM