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IMJack

The End of the American Century

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It's no secret that the United States is the most powerful nation in the world. Ever since the late 19th century, the US has been first in wealth, influence, technology, et al. History scholars are referring to this period as "the American century."

However, I believe that September 11 marks the beginning of the end of the American century. It has been proven possible to really hurt the United States. The power and influence that the US has been gathering will begin to gradually collapse, dispersing among other world entities. Eventually, the world will reach a state of stagnation, where there will be no significant technological or intellectual advances and no major centers of power or wealth. Much like after the fall of Rome, the world will go through another dark age before the next great empire arises.

How will the lives of average people change? Who do you think will rise to power once all the existing power structures collapse? Who will you blame for the woes of the world once the US becomes a powerless ghost of its old glory? Discuss.

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However, I believe that September 11 marks the beginning of the end of the American century. It has been proven possible to really hurt the United States. The power and influence that the US has been gathering will begin to gradually collapse, dispersing among other world entities. Eventually, the world will reach a state of stagnation, where there will be no significant technological or intellectual advances and no major centers of power or wealth. Much like after the fall of Rome, the world will go through another dark age before the next great empire arises.

SWEET!

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It has been proven possible to really hurt the United States.

Anybody who isn't a total retard already knew that, it's just that nobody ever bothered to do so.

Anyways, as for your main post: I think you're on crack.

Even if the US wasn't the biggest country anymore, it doesn't mean the next dark age is gonna arrive. Most likely the world will be better off if that happens.

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nice.

After 'discuss' you should put '(60 marks)'

What an exam question that would make! I agree with you, but God knows what will happen. Let's just hope it's good...

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We have no idea what'll happen in the next couple of years. The USSR lost its status as a world power very suddenly and I know that I was surprised that it happened so suddenly. But the US is standing quite strong I think, and it may take a long time before the USA drops down to "normal country" status.

The problem is that when the US one day looses its power (wich I'm sure will happen one day), it'll likely be substituted by a new superpower, which *could* turn out to become even more unpopular than the U.S. of America.

As you all know, history likes to repeat itself...

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the us has NOT been the most powerful country for the past 100, the torch has flucuated from japan, germany, and back to america. under capitalism, nations companies and down even to people rise and fall in power anarchaically

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as for what dsm said, I agree. Better the devil you know, as it were.

BTW, dsm, how did you post 5xx posts so quick? You only reg'd in mid-December, and I thought I posted like a frenzied madman... ;)

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Back in 9th grade, I made a prediction that the U.S.A. wouldn't be around in 50 years. I guess it may be happening sooner rather than later.

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Nah, the USA will live for quite a while yet... A few centuries for sure. However, it will slowly lose its status of world's greatest empire, with some other country replacing it. USA will still remain the "first world" country.

And since after few centuries most countries in the word will probably unite (maybe it will happen sooner), nothing really bad is going to happen.

Do I sound too optimistic? Fuck :)

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Nah, you sound like a human should sound. Pesismistic points of view are the first step into "aww fuck it's not gonna fix anytime soon".

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BTW, dsm, how did you post 5xx posts so quick? You only reg'd in mid-December, and I thought I posted like a frenzied madman... ;)


Well, I had email notification enabled (I've turned it off now) and I have this nifty li'l programme, which instantly tells me when I've received mail (I have a Local Area Network, so I'm basically online as soon as Windows has loaded). So whenever I check my 'Doomworld' folder and see that I have x replies, I simply skim through them and reply whenever I feel like it.
That's the best explanation I can give you.

Btw Pritch, you're British right? Can you tell me how long the British Empire lasted?

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Back in 9th grade, I made a prediction that the U.S.A. wouldn't be around in 50 years. I guess it may be happening sooner rather than later.

This is a little over reacting. New York got hit, and the US is hitting back. Any world power had to deal with Terrorists, including the Romans. The WTC will be the beginning of the end for Laden, Hussein etc. The US just got started cleaning house.

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Well, I don't mean to sound pessimistic or anything, but this country is offically in recession. Meaning that in a year or so, we'll all more than likely be in a downward spiral. What happens to the US may or may or not affect, say, Indonesia, but it will hurt Japan and/or China, or Europe and thusly it will ripple through a lot of countries.
Doesn't this make you feel happier, folks?

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it ain't gonna happen in Europe.

Interest rates will be lowered to stimulate aggregate demand and thereby protect the macro-economy from US recession. The ECB now has big power to control American side-effects now the Euro is in use.

Besides, consumer spending isn't falling over here, and that's the big deal.

C+I+G+X-M = Aggregate Demand, and C is the biggest component. As long as taht's healthy, we'll be fine, trust me. I'm more worried about OPEC, the bastards.

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It's just a little recession. Hopefully it will do us some good. I need the house prices to drop in the bay area. Something is wrong when $250k only buys me a 3bed/1bath 1300sqr' house in the crack rock neighborhoods.

But on the up side maybe some lunitic will raise Germany back up to "the superpower", then the arian race can go hunting unarmed europeans....oh wait... that already happened....... twice.

No I think if the US fell China would roll through all of Asia, then set its sites on Europe.... what countrys would try to stop them? History has proven that most countrys try to stay out of it unless they are directly involved. I don't think any Europen countrys would want to piss them off if China was promising it only wanted all of Asia.

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But on the up side maybe some lunitic will raise Germany back up to "the superpower", then the arian race can go hunting unarmed europeans....oh wait... that already happened....... twice.


That probably won't happen again...at least not in Germany. You see, Hitler only succeeded, because the German population was so insanely poor in the thirties. If you think America suffered during the thirties, you should've seen what it was like in Germany. I'd wager that it was at least three times as bad in Germany.
So that little gnome Hitler, took advantage of the population's poverty and promised them jobs, lots of jobs, and countless other good things, so the German people voted for him, because they thought that he was their savior. But once he became Cancellor (supreme leader of the country), he began to rule the country with an iron fist, forcing young men to serve in the army, sending all political opponents into concentration camps.

So, I don't think it'll happen in Germany again, because a Hitler-like person won't have a crisis situation like the thirties to back him up.
Btw, what excactly are you referring to, when you say that it happened twice? First time was WW2, but the other time?

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I think he's referring to WWI, though that wasn't really Germany's fault, and I don't remember anything about them killing millions of innocents back then. Why the Hell are the Germans to blame? BTW, if the allies in WWI hadn't have stripped Germany of all its military and made them pay an insane amount of money (supposedly for damages) at the end of WWI, there would have been no German depression, no Hitler the Fuhrer, no WWII.

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BTW, if the allies in WWI hadn't have stripped Germany of all its military and made them pay an insane amount of money (supposedly for damages) at the end of WWI, there would have been no German depression, no Hitler the Fuhrer, no WWII.


Just another point of view:

If the allies in WWI would have completely wiped out Germany off the face of the earth, killing all living things within its borders, there wouldn't be no German depression, no Hitler and no WWII.

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If the allies in WWI would have completely wiped out Germany off the face of the earth, killing all living things within its borders, there wouldn't be no German depression, no Hitler and no WWII.


No, then the Allies would've been the arseholes, killing millions of innocent Germans.
And no, Germany didn't start WW1. World War 1 was started because several nations had made alliances. Then some prat assasinated a Jugoslavian Prince(can't remember the excact country. Serbia?), which was regarded as an agression against the whole country. THAT started WW1, not the Germans.
It remains an enigma to me, why Germany got blamed for starting WW1. Were they just appointed the official scapegoat because they lost the war? I wouldn't be surprised.

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Alright, this is basically my A-Level History we're discussing here, and I got a B, so listen up! :)

Kaiser Wilhelm II was largely responsible for WW1. He basically paid no attention to the Reichstag or any politicians and in fact gave the military a carte blanche. He listened to his generals who were ambitious militants and he was jealous of Britain, her navy, and his cousin the Prince of Wales.

The assination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was basically just an excuse for Germany to start her military program.

I'm sorry but blaming the allies for WW2 is only a piece of the story. Yes, it helped, but total inadequate Weimar government and the failure to dissolve the right-wing judiciary also helped Hitler to rise to power, as did the web of intrigue Schleicher cast round the ageing president. Beasically, Hitler should've been locked up for life or shot afetr the Beer Hall Putsch. That he served less than five years in jail after trying to start a nationwide revolution is just laughable.

I agree, the German people shouldn't be tarnished for the actions of two men, one an inadequate misfit, the other a dreamer with a truly perverted fear of the Jewish race.

Right, lecture over, sorry. Now I'll just sit here and wait for Slo5oh to say I never say anything but insults, :)

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If the allies in WWI would have completely wiped out Germany off the face of the earth, killing all living things within its borders, there wouldn't be no German depression, no Hitler and no WWII.


No, then the Allies would've been the arseholes, killing millions of innocent Germans.


That's not the point. My statement is technically 100% correct. The only problem with it is the moral issue, which isn't one to be ignored, but what I meant to show is that there can be solutions, which are technically perfect, but unacceptable in the world of humans.

No, Germany didn't start WW1. World War 1 was started because several nations had made alliances. Then some prat assasinated a Jugoslavian Prince(can't remember the excact country. Serbia?)


Actually, it was a Serbian guy that assassinated the Austrian Ertzhertzog (dunno about spelling and such) Ferdinand. Then Austria attacked Serbia, and then when the alliances kicked in.

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btw, dsm, no I couldn't tell you (how long the British empire lasted), off the top of my head. It depends on how you define it, I guess.

And where is Air Raid, I wanna know ehere he lives in Bristol. Us British DW members should form a posse.

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Alright, this is basically my A-Level History we're discussing here, and I got a B, so listen up! :)

Kaiser Wilhelm II was largely responsible for WW1. He basically paid no attention to the Reichstag or any politicians and in fact gave the military a carte blanche. He listened to his generals who were ambitious militants and he was jealous of Britain, her navy, and his cousin the Prince of Wales.

The assination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was basically just an excuse for Germany to start her military program.

I'm sorry but blaming the allies for WW2 is only a piece of the story. Yes, it helped, but total inadequate Weimar government and the failure to dissolve the right-wing judiciary also helped Hitler to rise to power, as did the web of intrigue Schleicher cast round the ageing president. Beasically, Hitler should've been locked up for life or shot afetr the Beer Hall Putsch. That he served less than five years in jail after trying to start a nationwide revolution is just laughable.

I agree, the German people shouldn't be tarnished for the actions of two men, one an inadequate misfit, the other a dreamer with a truly perverted fear of the Jewish race.

Right, lecture over, sorry. Now I'll just sit here and wait for Slo5oh to say I never say anything but insults, :)


You beat me to it. That's a fair coverage, or so I think. I won't claim knowing the story around WW1 well enough to comment or add to your things.

And, seriously, can't you say anything but insults? ;)

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The assination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was basically just an excuse for Germany to start her military program.

And lots of other country used this asassination as an excuse as well.
Fact is that all countries wanted to gain power back then. It was the goal of most nations back then. Saying that Germany was the main culprit is BS as several other countries were willing to start the war as well - to conquer more land and gain more power.

And to all you who think that Germany as a nation did cruel things, know that the Germans have suffered a lot since both wars. A lot of these people never deserved it.

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Alright, this is basically my A-Level History we're discussing here, and I got a B, so listen up! :)

Kaiser Wilhelm II was largely responsible for WW1. He basically paid no attention to the Reichstag or any politicians and in fact gave the military a carte blanche. He listened to his generals who were ambitious militants and he was jealous of Britain, her navy, and his cousin the Prince of Wales.

The assination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was basically just an excuse for Germany to start her military program.

I'm sorry but blaming the allies for WW2 is only a piece of the story. Yes, it helped, but total inadequate Weimar government and the failure to dissolve the right-wing judiciary also helped Hitler to rise to power, as did the web of intrigue Schleicher cast round the ageing president. Beasically, Hitler should've been locked up for life or shot afetr the Beer Hall Putsch. That he served less than five years in jail after trying to start a nationwide revolution is just laughable.

I agree, the German people shouldn't be tarnished for the actions of two men, one an inadequate misfit, the other a dreamer with a truly perverted fear of the Jewish race.

Right, lecture over, sorry. Now I'll just sit here and wait for Slo5oh to say I never say anything but insults, :)


I'm proud of you. Not a single insult... you didn't even make fun of the fact i misspelled aryan.

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