andie nachgeborenen wrote:
>
> Empires in decline often do the worst damage. We are
> still dealing with the wreckage the Brits made in the
> 20th century. Israel/Palestine. Iraq, a British
> creation. Iran, so renamed by the Brits. Never mind
> Afghanistan. And let's not think about the wrack they
> wrought in Africa. India and Pakistan. (One might also
> reflect that the last Reich was the death spasm of a
> failed wannabe Empire.) Happy New Year! Yikes.
Even worse than an empire in decline is an empire still at the height of its power but _feeling_ as though it might just be in decline!
Ignoring Dennis R's sweet daydreams, and looking at the flow of material goods and services, we can see that the whole world is tripping over itself in catering to the U.S. And that world can't keep going without continually giving its products away to the U.S. That flow of material goods (ignoring bookkeeping) is the only way to measure real power.
Carrol