Tyranny, war, poverty, massive corruption, wholesale incarceration, crumbling infrastructure, a collapsing economy, and a pig-headed belief in its own “exceptionalism” among the leading factors contributing to the downfall of the once-great American Empire.
- FAILING DEMOCRACY [low voter participation, crony capitalism, state capture]
- WEALTH CONCENTRATION [rising inequality, growing precariat]
- DEGRADING INFRASTRUCTURE [public goods declining]
- DROP IN POPULAR OPINION ABROAD [Loss of soft power]
- MILITARISM FOR ITS OWN SAKE [Military Keynesianism]
- RESISTANCE GROWING [US perceived as most dangerous country in 2014-Gallup]
- EXCEPTIONALISM ON THE ROPES [#1 in the wrong categories]
All of these can be traced to a single underlying source, neoliberalism as a dominant ideology.
I would not say "decline of the United States," but rather "decline of the American Empire. And that's a good thing.
David Swanson
The Decline and Fall of the United States
See also
William S. Lind is a paleoconservative like Pat Buchanan, but like Buchanan he gets some of this right — as does Ron Paul — and they are saying it. Unfortunately, it is mixed with some pretty loopy stuff that I have omitted from the following excerpts.
I would not say "decline of the United States," but rather "decline of the American Empire. And that's a good thing.
David Swanson
The Decline and Fall of the United States
See also
William S. Lind is a paleoconservative like Pat Buchanan, but like Buchanan he gets some of this right — as does Ron Paul — and they are saying it. Unfortunately, it is mixed with some pretty loopy stuff that I have omitted from the following excerpts.
The Washington establishment, which is bipartisan, thought that now [after the dissolution of the USSR] we could rule the world. It could dictate to everyone and it could force its ideology, which is sometimes called globalism or liberal democracy, but is in fact the soft totalitarianism of Brave New World, on everyone in the world. If necessary, with military force. This is the classic hubris that has destroyed one great power after another. There is nothing new about it.…
Russia under President Putin represents the state system and the way states normally act within the state system, based on their interests. The ideology of the Washington establishment says that is not how the world is going to work anymore. It is instead going to be essentially a one world government based in Washington. This ideology includes such concepts as the feminist definition of women’s rights, devaluation of all religions, so called gay rights, and the belief that this must be universal. Russia is saying no to this. It is saying that it still believes in the state system and is going to pursue its own interests on the world stage.…
The Washington establishment defines democracy as a system of elections that elects the people it wants to be elected. If an election in another part of the world does not put in power the government that Washington wants, then Washington refuses to recognize the election. We saw this most dramatically in the Gaza Strip, where the freest and fairest election ever held in the Arab world resulted in a Hamas government coming to power. And Washington immediately announced that it would not recognize it or deal with it.…
The neoconservatives have never gotten over the Cold War and in truth they represent the thinking that was anti-Russian long before the Soviet Union, that was anti-Russian in the 19th century. Unfortunately for America and the rest of the world, they have had an enormous impact on American foreign policy. There is no reason they should have that influence, since all of their adventures have proven disastrous. Of course, they gave us a completely unnecessary and failed war in Iraq. Nonetheless, people continue to listen to them. This may have something to do with the fact that they have a great deal of money behind them.
The neocons and the neoliberals are very similar and work together. The Washington establishment is bipartisan.…
Europe at this point is still very much in Washington’s orbit. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the EU is an American satellite.…
The United States policy in the Middle East is so stupid that there is a very real danger that we may find ourselves simultaneously fighting all three parties – the Islamist rebels in Syria, the Assad government and Iran. It takes real talent in foreign policy to fight everybody at the same time, despite the fact that they are all fighting each other.…Russia Insider
Russia Says No to One-World Government
Victor Olevich interviews William S. Lind
More useful analysis of the policy, strategy and tactics of neoliberal globalization under the imperial US, written in the vein of Pepe Escobar.
Russia Insider
Wolf Pack vs. Bear: How the West Aims to Isolate, Shatter Russia
Anne Williamson
3 comments:
The current US attitude is very similar to the UK attitude during the Edwardian period.
An attitude that prevailed into World War One - which finally dispelled it.
The empire syndrome.
"The United States policy in the Middle East is so stupid that there is a very real danger that we may find ourselves simultaneously fighting all three parties "
What can I say....
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