How long does the American empire have?

How long until the USofA falls as the last super power?

  • It’s about over now, historians will refer to Bush Jr. as “America’s Nero”.

    Votes: 5 13.2%

  • <25 years

    Votes: 5 13.2%

  • <50 years

    Votes: 15 39.5%

  • <100 years

    Votes: 6 15.8%

  • Never!, ya and monkey will fly out of my butt!

    Votes: 4 10.5%

  • A specific date that I will explain...

    Votes: 3 7.9%
  • Total voters
    38
  • Poll closed .
ElectricFetus

ElectricFetus

Sanity going, going, gone
Valued Senior Member
How long until the USofA falls as the last super power?

Hey Rome lasted a thousand years; then again Rome did not have our rate of social and technological development. At this rate my bet within 50 years tops!
 
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I don't think it will end within a hundred years but I do think that its entering a different stage. Perhaps comparable to Rome's transition from republic to dictatorship.
 
I’m not saying it will end (Rome still exists) I’m just asking how long will we last as the dominate super power...
 
At risk of sounding stupid, I would venture less than 50. Roughly speaking, it seems that empires have lasted less and less time over the past few thousand years of technological speedup. compare the british empire with the Roman one. But then also both of those were half formed before they quite realised they ahd an emprie, then a final push was opened in order to consolidate it all into an empre. As soon as that had reached its limits, or a generation or two after, it started to fall apart.
Now, although the USA has been bossing people around for ages, I would venture that as an empire its now really atking up the ah ha, we are in charge here, lets go the whole hog sort of stage.
 
Why thank you. Now lets see if anyone else thinks otherwise. This is quite a good question at least, and I dont notice anyone spluttering "but the USA doesnt have an empire".
 
I'm not sure, by using history I would say not long but america has done something unprecedented. They have made allies all over the place. I'm not sure how this is significant its just that its not like some unknown empire will arise and take out america while it has all those allies.
What is more likely is one of those allies eventually becomes so powerful that it, almost peacefully, takes americas title. I think america would remain an allie of whoever that was and this trend would continue for a long time. The days of conquering empires are probably over.
All powers of the world are known and monitored.
What nation do you think will be next?
I honestly think its australia for lack of a better option, reason being it is so young and unpopulated yet it is wealthy and has high living standards. It has the benefit of progressing while science already has a great depth of knowledge. It is on its way up while america is clearly on its way down. It is too easy to remember when america was a better place but australia improves in everyway all the time. Most other nations have already passed their use by dates, they are finished and there are no realistic big time goals in their futures. But australia stays small and clean and pure. It hasn't even got halfway up the hill let alone over it. It might take time but I think australia will be the next super power.
I'm not saying an americaVS australia war is imminent:p
I think the title will just be silently handed over by public opinion and both nations will remain allies.
The only other possible candidate I can think of is canada but australia are behind them and for some reason I see that as beneficial at this stage in time.
Kind of like the queens children, its like canada will become elderly while the us is still not finished being the queen and the young australia will be perfect for the position.
I can't think of any other nation to even recognise as being in the race...
 
To be honest, if you actually look at it, the only allies the USA has are rich people and gvts who like to stick next to the winner. Everyone else either hates, dislikes or is, well, sort of negative about the USA. These last ones are in the majority i think, if they arent the USA will have a hell of a bumpy ride.

"What is more likely is one of those allies eventually becomes so powerful that it, almost peacefully, takes americas title."

Yes, thats effectively what happened with the UK and the USA.
I dont think Australia, because it hasnt anywhere to go. I dont know it that well, but really, whats it got. Major resources? Some, but not that much. Brilliant ideas? no more than anywhere else.

small and clean and pure? My aunt was being screwed for water last year in a farm in the bush, I cant remember the names, but anyhow a few hours drive from big cities in the south east.
the point is, has Australia got what it takes to have a massive outpouring of energy and activity? I am not very sure. So I turn to china, which does. IN fact is half way there. HAs a long way to go, might fall over (or be pushed) in a messy way, but in the long run, could be the next winner. And yes, 50 years would be enough, i think.
Or alternatively, how about Brazil or suchlike? Half developed, lot of pent up energy, great divides to be healed.
 
The world is much smaller than it used to be and the Empire has the technology, political power, and the "intelligence" to go on for some time. A more interesting (and scary) question is HOW will the empire end?
 
HOW will the empire end?

Terrorism!
The proletariat will get sick of being blown up in someone elses(?) war and demand the goverment to solve the root cause of terrorism. Which is of course at this time imperialism. You can't stop "pissed off" individuals no matter how many civil liberties are taken away.
 
With the amount of nuclear weapons and others that USA have, I see the fall of the USA as a total world destruction dooms day style.
 
USA has not so much friends. If terrorists would wait 50-100 years USA would be destroyed by its own pollution (Mouha ha ha ha ha...) but I don't think that they will wait until this moment. So 25 years is my opinion!
I don't know how we will live after it, because it will depend on lots of things (EU, Islam, China, NK, Africa, US level just before their "accident" and after it...). Anyway I don't care about it anymore : we will see it soon or later.
With the amount of nuclear weapons and others that USA have, I see the fall of the USA as a total world destruction dooms day style.
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I would see something like "Dark Angel"...
 
It's a continual demonstration of the failure of educational systems reading how people think the US will cease it's position as superpower. It's not going to happen through warfare, or through isolated but large terrorist attacks.

The biggest threat that the US faces today is not al-quaeda, it's not France, it's not Iran/Iraq/Syria/whomever.

It's OPEC.

Consider this. The current US fiscal deficet is $44 trillion. The value of the dollar is dropping steadily, and the US just pissed off OPEC by invading a soverign nation with membership of OPEC and trying to cause a coup in another. In both cases, a primary factor in the decision was not their regieme (as Wolfowitz has now publiclly stated, the decision to invade Iraq was made on September 13th, 2001), but their choice to sell oil for euros and not dollars. Now at present, the value of the dollar enjoys an artifical state of being sheltered to an extent by the fact that everyone needs dollars to buy oil. Were OPEC as a group to change from selling oil for dollars to selling oil for euros, a large number of nations (read, all of them) would have to sell their stocks of dollars to buy euros. The result would be that the value of the dollar would go into freefall, triggering an economic collapse in the US that would make the 1929 depression pale by comparison.

And it's not that unlikely. It would have been, right up to the invasion of Iraq, because it's a course of action that would carry significant financial penalties for OPEC, as they'd have to take a hit from the devaluation of their dollar stocks - but if it came down to losing some money or losing their lives, I think it's predictable what the decision would be.
 
I don’t think terrorism is our end, terrorism is just an inconvenience, a war and a scap goat for all problems. America is losing ground technologically, economically and politically to other nations like Japan, China and the EU, eventually we will be out classed and they will siphon costumers way from us: resulting in further economic decline. Once we fall far enough we will enter a depression, money will become a top priority and our super power military will no long be able to pay for the increasing cost needed to remain at top. Eventually we will enter mediocrity. Our empire will die off more like the British empire did then the roman. In the end we will probably end up like France: thinking we still play an essential part in the world, total arrogant snubs, except we will be far stupider.
 
Originally posted by WellCookedFetus
I don’t think terrorism is our end, terrorism is just an inconvenience, a war and a scap goat for all problems. America is losing ground technologically, economically and politically to other nations like Japan, China and the EU, eventually we will be out classed and they will siphon costumers way from us: resulting in further economic decline. Once we fall far enough we will enter a depression, money will become a top priority and our super power military will no long be able to pay for the increasing cost needed to remain at top. Eventually we will enter mediocrity. Our empire will die off more like the British empire did then the roman. In the end we will probably end up like France: thinking we still play an essential part in the world, total arrogant snubs, except we will be far stupider.
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You forgot something. Everytime US will feel that they are using power and economy to another country, they'll start a war on that country and will boost their economy by rebuilding that country.

It's not like US is going to wait doing nothing for 50 years and watch itself fail. They have a check system and reaction for every action.
 
I don't see how we could safely make war with China, Japan or the EU without getting the world to declare WW3 on us and nuke us silly. No the American people will site the next 50 years blindly and totally ignorant to our decline until its to late.
 
okay then, so it's my doom day style ending.

I told you, USA obsession with staying the only sole power will be the reason for destruction of the whole world. Because USA will monitor countires and will not allow them to exceed the preconcieved American expectation for that country.
 
Ok then… want to build a bomb shelter with me?

I see our dictatorship doing such a thing, it seems possible and just stupid enough to happen.
 
Originally posted by WellCookedFetus
Ok then… want to build a bomb shelter with me?
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And miss all the fun of seeing the explosives first hand.
Nah...I'd rather die quick on the ground than get cancer and live 40 years in pain in a cave.
 
Originally posted by WellCookedFetus
In the end we will probably end up like France: thinking we still play an essential part in the world, total arrogant snubs, except we will be far stupider.
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About stupidity, you already reached your goal. And don't worry, you'll be as arrogant as we are in 3... 2... 1... Now! ;)
 
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