The USA is no longer the world's superpower

B00Mer

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The world's superpower no more

The last few days have shown that the world is no longer prepared to tolerate all of America's whims. Countries like Germany and South Korea are freeing themselves from the US' grip, writes DW's Frank Sieren.



Barack Obama is always welcome in Austin, Texas. Together with his entourage, the US president was able to skip the line at the most famous barbecue restaurant in the city, known for its juicy ribs but also for its long waiting times. Nobody complained, and Obama paid for some of the patrons' meals with his presidential credit card.

Nearly all US media outlets publicized the event over the weekend (12-13.07.2014). Aside from that, there wasn't much to report that could bolster national pride. On the world stage, the US no longer functions like a barbecue restaurant in Austin.

Not caving in to US pressure

If it hadn't been Americans from Austin but German Chancellor Angela Merkel, South Korean President Park Geun-hye or Chinese President Xi Jinping, the scene would have been quite different. In light of recent world events, their response to Obama skipping the line probably have been, "Line up at the back, Obama! We're not letting you push us around anymore!"

The US has been made aware of its new limits by two continents at once. Even Merkel - until now the most reserved among Europe's prominent politicians about the US - has had enough. She was willing to forgive the NSA's tapping of her cell phone, despite being criticized for it at home, but now that a German mole has been uncovered working for the US - including the fact that the spy was on the US agency's payroll and was most likely attempting to leak documents about the German inquiry on US spying - Merkel has drawn a line and expelled the top CIA official in Germany.
Although it was already evident 10 years ago that the US is keen to spy on any country it can, its allies are no longer bearing it in silence.

Germany distances itself

Merkel has made it clear that the scandal wouldn't affect free-trade negotiations between the US and the EU, but it seems that both sides are now losing the will to compromise. Merkel hasn't been talking to Obama on the phone lately; instead, she has said that having to constantly ask her conversation partner if they are "maybe simultaneously working for the other side" is not a basis of trust.

The era of placidity is over, even though German politicians, especially from the center-right, have felt obliged to keep it up until now for the sake of maintaining good relations with the US. Germany's Social Democratic Party already distanced itself from the US in response to the invasion of Iraq, while the Greens did so in the 1980s with their "no" to NATO rearmament.

At the weekend, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke of the need to revive German-US relations. The fact that Europe is no longer prepared to accept everything the US throws its way was made clear by new EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who was also first to jump to Merkel side in the NSA scandal.

Parallels in Asia

Interestingly, a similar situation is developing independently in Asia. Last week, Washington was sidelined there too.
First, South Korean President Park Geun-hye's cozied up to China: the two countries are planning to establish a free-trade zone before the year is up. In addition, Park announced that both countries are keen to conduct more business in yuan and won instead of US dollars - until now, 90 percent of Chinese-Korean business deals have been done in US dollars. This indicates that South Korea's economic ties with China are taking priority over the security-related connections with the US.

Then there was the sixth round of strategic and economic negotiations in Beijing, attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry and eight other US cabinet members, where more differences than common opinions surfaced. For example, Beijing suspended the activities of the task force set up by Obama and Xi not long ago for the purpose of combating cybercrime. And the US delegation was told that no double standards should be applied to US and Chinese interests. Kerry responded with a white lie, saying that the US and China weren't competing with each other.

China ahead in independent measures

While Europe's and South Korea's self-confidence is growing, China, a rising world power, is one step ahead. Its relationship with the US is not only marked by disgruntlement like Germany's, and it is not just attempting to make its own rules like the Europeans are in response to Google - it has been making them for some time already. An example of this is cyber espionage. Beijing is planning to ban Windows software on government computers, as well as IBM servers in Chinese banks. Last week, the Apple iPhone was named a risk to national security by Chinese media.

China is managing to create new global rules and institutions like no other country or region. This week, Xi Jinping flew to Rio de Janeiro to establish a bank together with Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa. This would function as a counterweight to the US-dominated World Bank. It is also certain that similar international institutions without US membership will follow.

All over the world, China is signing agreements that will allow it to trade without US dollars. In major international conflicts, like those with North Korea and Iran, China is advocating negotiation instead of isolation and sanctions. And in both cases its intentions are met with increasing approval. A new global competition of ideas, rules and institutions is being created, welcomed by all countries under American influence.

Obama's plight

With all this considered, Obama can be viewed as a tragic figure. There is little he can do about this unprecedented global rebellion. He became president at the wrong time. His predecessors were still able to send off fleets of aircraft carriers, trigger two wars and stir up economic chaos.

Now the money is gone and the wars have not generated any benefits. Meanwhile, Europe's and Asia's reservations are bigger than ever. For this reason, it is likely that Obama will not only go down in history as the first black president and founder of a new welfare system, but also as the first president forced to deal with the US' downgrading from biggest superpower to co-player on the world stage.

His performance on the latter hasn't been good. He should use the time he still has in office for more constructive things than publicity-generating appearances at a barbecue restaurant. Because Europe and Asia are sure to realize more and more that they are working on the same project: the abolishment of the global American monopoly.

source: Opinion: The world′s superpower no more | World | DW.DE | 15.07.2014

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well it's kind of obvious that China and Russia as a team, can crush the US any day of the week..

Canada is now deal directly with China with currency and has bi-passed the US Dollar.
 

Locutus

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once they take the white house keys away from that mongrel, things will pick up again.
 

darkbeaver

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once they take the white house keys away from that mongrel, things will pick up again.

That dog don't mean squat in or out of the W house. The only thing that picks up is war. Wait for the rush on gold, a lot of worthless paper certificates out there. It's going to be horrible. I'm going to hide in the woods.
 

EagleSmack

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USA
The world's superpower no more

The last few days have shown that the world is no longer prepared to tolerate all of America's whims. Countries like Germany and South Korea are freeing themselves from the US' grip, writes DW's Frank Sieren.



Barack Obama is always welcome in Austin, Texas.


About the only place in Texas that he is welcome.


Together with his entourage, the US president was able to skip the line at the most famous barbecue restaurant in the city, known for its juicy ribs but also for its long waiting times. Nobody complained, and Obama paid for some of the patrons' meals with his presidential credit card.


Of course he skipped the line. He's the King.
 

gopher

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the world is no longer prepared to tolerate all of America's whims. Countries like Germany and South Korea are freeing themselves from the US' grip



That's good to know because nothing that is going on in those countries is any of our business. If it is true that Obama has lessened our assumed role in world wide affairs, then that is to his credit. It is time for us to spend our money here solving our own problems and to stop fretting about everything that goes one elsewhere. After all, do any of those people care a blip about what happens here?
 

Blackleaf

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The US has never been a real superpower. Not militarily, anyway. Not in a way that Rome and Britain were. Those two were able to use their military might to achieve hegemony of a vast area on their own. The US is mainly the biggest player in a Western alliance. It's doubtful it would have achieved much on its own without its allies.
 

Walter

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It's what BHO wants. He's the first prez who doesn't like the US.
 

Blackleaf

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Not only is everything I've said true, it goes without saying that America's reign as top dog will have lasted for only a tiny period of time compared to the reign of Rome and Britain as top dogs. Britain was top dog for 200 years (circa 1740s to 1940s); Rome for longer. America has only been top dog since WWII and it's already about to be eclipsed by China. There's no way its dominance will last for another 200 years or more.

But America has NEVER been a true superpower in a way that others, like Rome, Britain and Ancient Egypt, were. They were able to dominate the world through their own military and economic might and did so mainly on their own. America, rather than being a true superpower, has merely been, since WWII, the biggest player in the Western alliance, and only achieved and kept top dog status, thanks to this alliance.



America: your days as a global superpower are numbered

We've seen it before: the Roman empire fell, then the British. America's economic dominance could be about to end - and China is taking its place.



Not so bullish anymore.


The US’ economic prowess has been waning since the 1950s, but the downturn has sharpened over the last 15-or-so years. Part of this is due to internal political and economic issues in the US. Political polarization in the US is at its highest level in decades, economic confidence is drooping and most Americans are no longer in favour of international military intervention - once one of the pillars of American freedom and might.





As Reid points out, America’s share of world output, on a purchasing power parity basis, has already slipped below 20pc, which has historically been the marker of a global superpower, from the Roman to the British empires.



World's largest economies in 1AD


World's largest economies in 1870

But this is not just the story of America’s decline. China is on the way up - and could account for more of global GDP than the US by 2018, according to the IMF's World Economic Outlook index.

Another report, released earlier this week, said that China's nominal GDP will overtake that of the US by 2024, buoyed by a three-fold increase in consumer spending.

“China has begun to return to the position in the global economy it occupied for millenia before the industrial revolution,” Reid wrote, adding that China is on its way to overcoming the “centuries-long economic underperformance” that has held it back until recently.



America: your days as a global superpower are numbered - Telegraph
 
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darkbeaver

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The US has never been a real superpower. Not militarily, anyway. Not in a way that Rome and Britain were. Those two were able to use their military might to achieve hegemony of a vast area on their own. The US is mainly the biggest player in a Western alliance. It's doubtful it would have achieved much on its own without its allies.

The very same Black Monarchy that propelled Britians empirialism propelled America's for the same prize. Shifting power is as easy as a bank draft.