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Post by Aria88 on Jul 3, 2004 12:31:35 GMT -5
I predict that, in 20-30 years, a stronger, more unified Europe will be seen as a threat to American world dominance. (Actually, China's time will probably come sooner, but that would be the topic of another thread.) I don't keep up with what political analysts have to say. Has anyone heard of similar forecasts? Don't forget that allies today are enemies tomorrow.
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Post by nordicyouth on Jul 3, 2004 21:25:58 GMT -5
China as world superpower has a lot of problems to overcome. The BBC had a documentary saying that a united EU, really a Eurasian supergiant bloc would be pre-eminent and face off against a dwindling USA. The UK would be crucial to either side and would be caught in the middle and Canada would be occupied by both powers.
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Post by asdf on Jul 24, 2004 23:12:05 GMT -5
That's what I was thinking lately will hap--huge economic blocks: China, US + Canada, Europe.
Econimically, Canada has been the US's, no? Their cultural ties to Europe are weak, I think.
How do countries like Japan, Brazil, South Korea fit into this? Or Spanish-speaking America, Australia, Africa?
Or Russia? Does it join the EU? Will global warming free Russian land up?
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Post by murphee on Jul 25, 2004 0:23:29 GMT -5
I predict that, in 20-30 years, a stronger, more unified Europe will be seen as a threat to American world dominance.
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Post by Graeme on Jul 25, 2004 9:51:29 GMT -5
People forget that the USA is a collection of States with sometimes nothing much in common. Think of the times it has imploded: civil war, Joseph McCarthy. I think the USA is a threat to itself. As for Europe, national pride is an impediment, but Europeans whether English, Greek or Polish know that they are united when compared to the Americans. The Americans are different and perceived as such by all Europeans.
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Post by captainusa1 on Jul 25, 2004 17:42:14 GMT -5
People forget that the USA is a collection of States with sometimes nothing much in common. Think of the times it has imploded: civil war, Joseph McCarthy. I think the USA is a threat to itself. As for Europe, national pride is an impediment, but Europeans whether English, Greek or Polish know that they are united when compared to the Americans. The Americans are different and perceived as such by all Europeans. The differences between the states are less pronounced than they were in the past. There are continuing regional differences that can be illustrated by the so-called blue states and red states. However, the mass culture has homogenized the country in a way that is blurring the differences. We're united when it counts, and I'd say that we're more united than the EU could be because we don't look at our various states as nation-states.
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Post by Phrederick on Aug 4, 2004 0:12:51 GMT -5
I think we Americans have more to fear from China or a United Asia than Europe.
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Post by Arwen on Aug 4, 2004 22:26:33 GMT -5
I've lived in Oregon, Indiana, North Carolina, and Maryland. My husband has lived in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Maryland, California, and Illinois. The United States are extremely cohesive. Differences between states (even such extremes as Oregon and Alabama...probably the most different I can come up with) are VERY minute politically. You need to live in different areas of the US to really understand that state differences are very superficial.
The EU needs to strengthen it's military significantly if it wants to become a threat to the US. Even so, do all the European countries want to lose their identity and become one European state?
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Post by geirr on Aug 4, 2004 23:53:34 GMT -5
The EU needs to strengthen it's military significantly if it wants to become a threat to the US. Even so, do all the European countries want to lose their identity and become one European state? The EU is an economic bloc not a military one. NATO which is the European military union includes both the USA/Canada and certain European nations. There is a difference between real potential threats and simply jumping at shadows, Europe, China and the rest of the world couldn't care less about America as long as it minds it's own business.
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Post by pconroy on Aug 25, 2004 11:15:02 GMT -5
That's what I was thinking lately will hap--huge economic blocks: China, US + Canada, Europe. Econimically, Canada has been the US's, no? Their cultural ties to Europe are weak, I think. How do countries like Japan, Brazil, South Korea fit into this? Or Spanish-speaking America, Australia, Africa? Or Russia? Does it join the EU? Will global warming free Russian land up? I certainly think that Russia, Ukraine and maybe some more of the former USSR satelite states will certainly join the EU, as it would make great sense economically. Russia is relatively underpopulated and has huge natural resources which are underdeveloped, while Western Europe is more crowded and has depleted much of its natural resources. Russia must be looking over its shoulder nervously at China, which is so close geographically to all these natural resources! I think the US will seek to expand NAFTA, which now only included Mexico and Canada, with Chile maybe in the future. I think the US wants to be a more dominant players in South America, and stop countries like Brazil from becomming rivals. It's interesting that Brazil, Argentina and a few other countries today have an economic block called Mercosur, as a kind of rival to NAFTA. I think that in the future they will merge, to become a united North, Central and South America trading block. I think both a United Europe + Russia, and United States + NAFTA must be carefull of China. It is not a good sign that France wants to act like a gadfly and incite tension between the EU block and the US block, as this only serves China's interests. Unfortunately, despite the UN, there will always be wars and I expect more of them rather than less in this new millenium. I agree with Robert Kaplan's analysis that the next large scale war could be fought over Central Asia: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375502726/002-4805199-8051262?v=glanceand its natural resources, as well as its strategic value in any upcoming war. I think this is why China grabbed Tibet in the 1950's. The only country no-one seems to pay attention to is India, and if predictions come true, by 2050 it will have 1.5 BILLION people, while China will have 1.1 billion - if I remember correctly. Right now they are in a squabble with Pakistan, which has gone on for a few decades, but is mostly posturing I think. Who knows what they really want or what they will do if they become an economic power?!
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Post by vela on Nov 19, 2004 21:09:35 GMT -5
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Post by polyglotUSA on Nov 27, 2004 9:32:29 GMT -5
My first post, so please bear with me as I get acquainted with the board style.
My take is this: The USA is stretching itself out so far and is utilising its resources to maintain its empire. In doing so, has been proving to other nations the necessity of combination in order to avoid being swallowed whole by the American Imperium. Witness the EU; the cooperation of China, North Korea, and now India in economic policies. That was really helped by the Iraqi example, which showed that knuckling under to the USA will only result in destruction. Witness the results of Iraq's grovelling to the United(US)Nations. Iraq cooperated with the UN and what happened? Millions dead, the entire country in ruins, the "minorities" being stirred up by Israel and Iran, the state itself ready to go the neo-liberal way of seperate areas for each "ethnic group". On the other hand, NKorea told Bush, essetially, that if he tried to do anything about their nukes, NKorea would blow his butt off. Which one is still around and has powerful backup? Not Iraq, that's for sure. They were betrayed and left to die by the USA-puppet regimes in North Africa/Near East. No wonder Ghaddaffi is pursuing alliances with SSAfrican nations rather than the feeble monarchies in his area of the world.
When the USA collapses, as it surely will, a new form of feudalism will arise as predicted by Marx and Engels, if scientific socialism is not around. New forms of combination will spring up, EU will become completely integrated, SEAsia and Australia/NZ will become one, as they are already moving toward. The USA will continue to destroy what ever it can get its hands on and whenever it can find puppets such as Tony Blair, it will use them as allies in the campaign to turn the world into a neo-liberal, ethnically/racially obsessed, absolute slavery "justified" by capitalist drivel about "the end of history".
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Post by alex221166 on Nov 28, 2004 4:23:09 GMT -5
Interesting, I predict the exact opposite: a return to the age of Nationalism. Several Eu countries are close to social implosion (much to the surprise of the idiots who rule us).
It takes generations to create patriotism, and that is something that the EU planners never even considered. You can build a castle of cards using spit as glue, but don't expect it to stand for long.
The EU will be a threat to US ECONOMICAL interests as soon as most of the world starts using the Euro as an international currency: as soon as that happens (and it is already happening), you will have to start controlling your budget deficit (instead of just printing more billions - thus devalueing your, and everyone else's money).
Diplomatically, the EU is a midget because we lack social, ethnic and (believe it or not) cultural unity.
In the future, there will be regional economic trade areas, but your theories about feudalism, Marx and Engels are complete nonsense.
The only reason why North Korea wasn't invaded is because Bush is an idiot who doesn't know when to attack whom. He should have attacked Iran or Saudi Arabia - definitely not Iraq. As to North Korea, the only guys that give a f*ck about those bastards are the Chinese, the Japs and the South Koreans. Let the Chinese die for the mess they created! What does that have to do with America?
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Post by Satyros on Dec 5, 2004 18:33:54 GMT -5
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Post by LibLabDog on Dec 17, 2004 1:33:15 GMT -5
Europe will be a "deadly" threat, as soon as they can agree on what LANGUAGE to speak.
Can you guys move from England to Greece to Germany, all in one year, without headaches of papers? ...Yeah, didn't think so.
And you guys can't even DEFEND multiculturalism when it really exists!!! ...Like in Israel, where they have 1 MILLION Palestinians as equal citizens, as well as Blacks, and Asian workers.
At best, all you can do is send some dufus in a light blue helmet to go watch as Yugoslavia tears itself to pieces. ...You guys are the biggest wet-diapers around. And you're ingrates. And America is pretty bored to tears about how much you over-rate yourselves.
You have an illustrious past. ...But not a particularly bright future. No where near as interesting as China, or India.
THERE'S MORE OF A FUTURE IN THE MIDDLE-EAST THEN THERE IS IN WESTERN EUROPE!!!!
If I were you... I'd start studying Arabic.
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