Reduced Dominance Is Predicted for U.S.

A new intelligence report/forecast being prepared for the next president - whoever he may be - on future global issues predicts a steady decline in U.S. dominance on the world stage in the coming decades. This will no doubt cause angst among the GOP base who still believe we are living in the 1950's or perhaps the late 1960's. The decline in U.S. influence will be a result of a combination of factors as the world is reshaped by globalization and confronted with the effects of climate change which may include regional upheavals over shortages of food, water and energy. Obviously, it is critical that the next president be someone who can comprehend these forces and issues and make policy decisions and adjustments accordingly. That pretty much rules out John McCain and today's anti-knowledge, anti-science, Bible and guns totting Republican Party. We are likely on the threshold to changes akin to what Britain faced after World War I but will we have leadership wise enough to see it? I shudder to think of what awaits the country if McSenile and Christian Taliban Palin are elected. Here are some highlights from the Washington Post:

*

The report, previewed in a speech by Thomas Fingar, the U.S. intelligence community's top analyst, also concludes that the one key area of continued U.S. superiority -- military power -- will "be the least significant" asset in the increasingly competitive world of the future, because "nobody is going to attack us with massive conventional force."

*

"The U.S. will remain the preeminent power, but that American dominance will be much diminished," Fingar said, according to a transcript of the Thursday speech. He saw U.S. leadership eroding "at an accelerating pace" in "political, economic and arguably, cultural arenas." . . . The new view is in line with that of prominent economists and other global thinkers who have argued that America's influence is shrinking as economic powerhouses such as China assert themselves on the global stage.

*

The predicted shift toward a less U.S.-centric world will come at a time when the planet is facing a growing environmental crisis, caused largely by climate change, Fingar said. By 2025, droughts, food shortages and scarcity of fresh water will plague large swaths of the globe, from northern China to the Horn of Africa. For poorer countries, climate change "could be the straw that breaks the camel's back," Fingar said, while the United States will face "Dust Bowl" conditions in the parched Southwest.

*

Energy security will also become a major issue as India, China and other countries join the United States in seeking oil, gas and other sources for electricity. The Chinese get a good portion of their oil from Iran, as do many U.S. allies in Europe, limiting U.S. options on Iran. "So the turn-the-spigot-off kind of thing -- even if we could do it -- would be counterproductive."