Will The United States Remain As The Only Superpower

[I Am Roskva]

DISCUSS: Do you think the U.S. will remain the only superpower in the 21st century?

Please discuss and convince me whether you think so or not. Provide me with examples and your sources. smile

[I Am Roskva]

smile

[Heimdalr]

Are they the only superpower now?

[The Living Force]

When's the essay due?

Also, no. Our hegemony's waning, but we'll still be a strong player for quite some time. The RMB has quite a ways before it can replace the USD as global currency.

Historically, periods of waning hegemony are marked by warfare. In case that interests you.

[I Am Roskva]

Inconsistent With Reality

Are they the only superpower now?

yes

[I Am Roskva]

The Living Force

When's the essay due?

Also, no. Our hegemony's waning, but we'll still be a strong player for quite some time. The RMB has quite a ways before it can replace the USD as global currency.

Historically, periods of waning hegemony are marked by warfare. In case that interests you.

it's not an essay, just a debate I'm having is all. lol

[Heimdalr]

I Am Roskva

Inconsistent With Reality

Are they the only superpower now?

yes

What are the qualifications you've set for being a superpower then?

[I Am Roskva]

Inconsistent With Reality

I Am Roskva

Inconsistent With Reality

Are they the only superpower now?

yes

What are the qualifications you've set for being a superpower then?

they're not the one's I've set, they're one that have been defined.
let me guess, you think China's a superpower?

[Heimdalr]

I Am Roskva

Inconsistent With Reality

I Am Roskva

Inconsistent With Reality

Are they the only superpower now?

yes

What are the qualifications you've set for being a superpower then?

they're not the one's I've set, they're one that have been defined.
let me guess, you think China's a superpower?

I was thinking Russia. Its status as a superpower is backed by several analysts. [1][2][3][4][5]

[I Am Roskva]

Inconsistent With Reality

I Am Roskva

Inconsistent With Reality

I Am Roskva

Inconsistent With Reality

Are they the only superpower now?

yes

What are the qualifications you've set for being a superpower then?

they're not the one's I've set, they're one that have been defined.
let me guess, you think China's a superpower?

I was thinking Russia. Its status as a superpower is backed by several analysts. [1][2][3][4][5]

oh good.
i think it could be resurgent if it ever unifies with Ukraine again

[Heimdalr]

I Am Roskva

Inconsistent With Reality

I Am Roskva

Inconsistent With Reality

I Am Roskva

Inconsistent With Reality

Are they the only superpower now?

yes

What are the qualifications you've set for being a superpower then?

they're not the one's I've set, they're one that have been defined.
let me guess, you think China's a superpower?

I was thinking Russia. Its status as a superpower is backed by several analysts. [1][2][3][4][5]

oh good.
i think it could be resurgent if it ever unifies with Ukraine again

I don't think that will be necessary. The whole superpower concept is outdated anyway. Economies are interdependent to such a large degree that it is meaningless to separate by federal or national borders when it comes to spheres of influence.

[Disa Uniflora]

It's difficult to predict who the new superpowers will be. Most likely that will be decided by who can best weather market turmoil, as opposed to older metrics that heavily prioritised hard power, ie. naval strength, nuclear stockpiles, and troop numbers.

While hard power will always play an important and necessary role in international relations, it was through flawed economics and undemocratic practices that the Soviet Union collapsed, not a severe inconsistency in military strength. Japan was once considered an obvious candidate for superpower status but prolonged economic woes have left that an all but forgotten piece of trivia.

Among the more modern examples of potential superpowers, we're already seeing the very real possibility -at this point nigh-inevitability- of the EU at least partially dissolving as a result of today's economic turmoil. This is on top of the fact that the EU lacks a unified foreign policy and does not project its strength abroad with any sense of cohesiveness, either in economic or military terms. I think it was, at best, always going to be no more than a powerful trading bloc. In the foreseeable future, even that is out of reach.

It's difficult for me, personally, to picture Brazil truly expanding into the energy superpower that some analysts have predicted it may become, but it can't be denied that the country has shown surprising economic strength and has been taking steps in that direction, developing nuclear power and even purchasing an old Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier from France in 2000.

China, considered for many years now to be the front runner, has very real concerns that its economy will one day collapse into a black hole that will ravage the global marketplace like nothing we've seen before and quite possibly politically destabilise the country and region at large. It also has to worry about being checked on two sides by rivals India and Russia.

India, who I personally have been rooting for all along, has been developing a more information/tech-based economy, as opposed to what's been called China's "happy meal" economy. The basic theory is that as the global marketplace develops, there'll be an increasing demand for the sort of industries and products that India has been making a concerted effort to gain a foothold in, whereas China will flounder because it'll still be providing that more common, lower class of goods. India is also the largest and among the most diverse democracies.

Russia, on the other hand, has been making overtures about returning to its original prominence. This, however, would be on the backs of its citizens and probably quite costly to the world at large, seeing as how they would have to primarily lead with their intact military apparatus as opposed to any special character of their economy or their politics. Of all the possible candidates, I would like this scenario the least because I feel it would retard the progress that could be made in the 21st century with regards to the spread of liberal democracy and the reduced role of the world's militaries in projecting strength.

We're just going to have to wait and see. It should be good fun, regardless.

[Prince Baldr]

I think this guy is trolling. Just the way he talks, "let me guess, you think China's a superpower?" It sounds like baiting to me. And such a question.

[I Am Roskva]

Prince Baldr

I think this guy is trolling. Just the way he talks, "let me guess, you think China's a superpower?" It sounds like baiting to me. And such a question.

I'm not "trolling." emotion_facepalm
I'm asking a reasonable question, to which you should not respond if you don't have an answer.
China is not a superpower, no matter how you look at it.
Maybe in the future (although I HIGHLY doubt it), it may have a chance of becoming one, but as of the moment, they are far from it.

[Prince Baldr]

I Am Roskva

Prince Baldr

I think this guy is trolling. Just the way he talks, "let me guess, you think China's a superpower?" It sounds like baiting to me. And such a question.

I'm not "trolling." emotion_facepalm
I'm asking a reasonable question, to which you should not respond if you don't have an answer.
China is not a superpower, no matter how you look at it.
Maybe in the future (although I HIGHLY doubt it), it may have a chance of becoming one, but as of the moment, they are far from it.

And yet I responded, wow, how did that happen? I just think you sound like a troll or a kid trying to get us to do your homework.

But I'll pretend you're real here and say we (the US) aren't a superpower now. Half of our fuel is from foreign powers, our debt is held by more, and our political system is so bogged down we can't move. Are we powerful, sure, but we are restrained. We're like a chained lion with a gun to our head. On an even playing field we are mightier then a god, but we are weakened and powerless.