Re: Will the US remain a world power, if so how, if now why not?
Lol, hardly, I discount Great Britain, Denmark and Sweeden from the EU because they retain their original currency rejecting the EU banknotes - which is technically a violation of the EU.
Yeah, well, the EU is not just the Eurozone countries. Sweden besides is obligated to change to the Euro as soon as they allow themself to fit the conditions. Denmark and GB have a so called opt out which means they can and will have to consider it at a later time..
Denmark will probably change to the Euro, as for the UK I think they will not change for a very long time.
In other words it's nothing more but a false virtual growth - growth by acquisition of other nation states is hardly real growth at all. The EU can not out compete either the US or China, the EU is quite irrelevant as a modern great power.
No, I think you are wrong here, accession of new member states is actually REAL growth. Not only economically, but people and resources as well.
Those member states are doomed to grow at a very fast rate the next 20-50 years, and will end up a place between Spain and Ireland, two fantastic examples of what the EU has done for previously poor member states.
The 4-10% growth of the new member states is atm compensating for the lower growth in western Europe, with Italy as the lowest example of less than 2% growth.
I would consider the accession of eastern Europe REAL and important growth.
GDP does not dictate purchase power. Though Europeans have higher incomes - however europeans also pay more for commodities. Chinese citizens have roughly the same amount of purchase power from their small wages to Americans - both of which are far more than Europeans.
If a European go to America, everything is cheap, if a European go to China, everything is almost free..
If an American go to China, everything is very cheap, if an American go to Europe, everything is expensive.
Just because Europe and Japan has high prices doesnt mean they have less purchasing power. The minimum wage in Europe(except the east) for example is much higher than in the US.
This inequality of prices will encourage Europeans to import a lot of goods, and the same thing that happend to the US, something that will make Europe more of a consumer and deficit society, something that again will help Europeans as prices will fall, and their Euro be very powerful overseas.
Even inside Europe this is happening, with cheap prices just across the borders, more and more Europeans are starting to buy goods in other European countries.
There is a total effect very difficult to understand, but looking at many of the aspects, it seems to be mostly positive, and they will appear clear and strong with time.
The challenge of the US to keep up with the EU if the EU reach the number 1 goal? You're not even making sense here.
The goals of the EU is growth and equality. If the eastern European states catch up with the western European counterparts, the European Union without any further enlargment will have MUCH(about 1/3-1/2) more economic muscle than the US.
Yet, you're still dealing with a non-centralized entity. The EU is not united and as noted formerly, the growth is only virtual from the collection of new nations into the Union - yet as with any nation - national interests are always going to be number 1. The "poorer" Eu nations now are using the "richer" nations to bolster their capital and credit - where as the richer nations are taking quite a hit - ie Germany.
The only way that the EU can even begin to compete with the US or China is if the entire subcontinent is united under one political entity with full military and governmental control.
The whole idea of the European Union is centralization. In not to far future it will probably become a federation or something similar, its well on its way..
Political and military union is ensrhined into the Maastricht Treaty and is well on its way to becoming reality.. But hey, Rome was not built in a day either.
Germany is taking hits, yes, but still growing at 2%, which is not a crisis.. Its just a matter of time until Germany and France loosens up and we experience a true economic boom in the European Union.
I predict that will happen between 2010 and 2020.
There was indeed a crack when the Euro was introduced, as peoples habits changed and everyone were sceptic, but since that, everything has turned upwards, and now the Eurozone outgrew the US the last quarter.
Who knows what it will be even in 5 years, the trust other countries have in the Euro is much stronger than the trust other nations have in the unstable and unreliable dollar.. A good reason that the hydrogen economy will be what will underpin the Euro, and the oil era of the dollar is out.
Even in the oil era you might see this starting, with more and more oil countries accepting Euro, and changing to Euro as foreign holdings.
The Euro is now the second most held and used currency in the world after the dollar, with about 20-30% of the market against 50-60% for the dollar.
Now that is impressive considering the dollar has lived for some 300 years and the Euro less than 10 years.
Yes, I'm talking about the US and our Humanitarian efforts.
Hah, is that suppose to be a joke? You made me lough.. :rofl
What are you pointing at, the war in Iraq or the war on terror?
Kyoto is a humanitarian issue? BTW, how's that going without US involvement? From the data that's been released seems no one is meeting their quotas and asking to "redraw" the goal posts because they can't be met. Kyoto won't be able to work unless the US is involved - pushing for every country to fall under the guidelines - including China and India.
France and Germany - interesting case about France and Germany in their contracts with the dictator - but what does this have to do with humanitarianism? France hasn't been able to, nor has done squat on it's own. International efforts without US involvement have been completely fruitless. Why? because each time such a scenario arises the European "powers" involved go right back to their colonial mentalities and seek only to see what they can gain from those efforts as opposed to what is the right thing to do.
Didnt say kyoto was a humanitarian issue, even if it borders to being one.
The point is kyoto is an example of policies that goes on whatever the US thinks.
You will see more and more policies from Europe coming as they have a few times before, that do not take into consideration what the US thinks. Same goes for Chinese policies, for example in Africa.
I don't think we had any allied support in Iraq. And even with the "support" that we did have - How many troops did France send in? Italy? Poland? Irrelevant numbers really - in other words, we didn't get any help from Europeans to begin with. But since when was Iraq about humanitarianism?
Never said Iraq was about anything humanitarian, actually now it is after the US wrecked and ruined the country. But of course no one support the US in their illegal and useless wars, what do you expect?
Iraq has made things far worse rather than anything positive.
I don't see the Europeans taking an initiative with Darfur, hell I didn't see the Europeans taking an initiative with Somalia either. Kuwait perhaps? Hmmm no, how about Cambodia? Again no. Was it the Europeans that brokered the Camp David accords? Ohh no wait, sorry impossible as Camp David is in the US.
Fact is, since the end of WWII the Europeans have been irrelevant as a world power - and as I said, the EU doesn't mean anything unless it can unite itself under one legitimate governing body only then will it even be on par with China or the US.
Europe is uniting under one unity, and they will continue, their power and influence is growing. What do you expect, small national European states having great influence like the last thousands of years, when they have been wrecked by Germanies wars of Hitler and Keiser Willem?
It ony took 50 years to get back on track, and it will take 50 more before the US will be desperate to catch up with both Europe and China..
Bye bye old Europe, welcome old US, should you need to change your violent and irrelevant policies? The US policies dont belong in the new millenium, European policies do belong..
PS. No one can really see the full picture before it is right before their eyes.
