by ralfy » Mon 22 May 2023, 20:20:26
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Again there is much to your arguments, and I agree at least in broad outline.
The point is where this turns in the future.
I do not know the USA must be “defeated” as I think that tide has already turned. Yes we are moving from the “uni-polar” or globalized world. That has been ongoing naturally for a while and it is being hastened by the Ukraine war.
The U.S. must not be defeated because various countries hold U.S. debt, including China. Also, the U.S. has a lot to share with the world in terms of resources, energy, and know-how. Also, most Americans, like most people, are decent and peaceful.
The problem with the country is the rich which controls it. The same rich even oppress most Americans, and most Americans are getting angry at them, as seen in low approval ratings for Biden. I also think they want MAGA not because they like Trump or want America to be great again but to make America normal again. It's borrowing and spending heavily, bailing out the rich at the expense of the public, spending heavily on wars and manipulating other countries, and so on.
At the same time, a country that has only around 5 pct of the world's population but needs to use four to five times more in oil, plus a quarter or so of the world's resources and energy, will need to adjust, and that's inevitable if the rich are controlled, as the credit needed to borrow and spend heavily will decrease.
FWIW, similar is happening to the global economy, as seen in a growing global middle class, with the rich controlling various countries and the world economy itself.
But the rich, both in the U.S. and in the rest of the world, will not agree to such, which means there will be more conflict, especially given the point that they are also the main funders of armaments manufacturers. And conflict will grow worse when nature starts batting last, i.e., given peak oil and diminishing returns in general coupled with pollution and the effects of global warming.