I find very little in Professor O'Connor's article that I can disagree with. Most of what he writes is history, a matter of record. However, I do believe he strays into the trap of assuming the United States' decline is inevitable, and that China's economy will continue to grow at its current rate into the foreseeable future.

I will not go into the reasons why the US has the ability to confront disaster by reinventing itself, as it has done in the past. It is too complicated a subject for these comments. The problems that confront China are much clearer: A significant proportion of its population is still living on the poverty line, while others flout their new-found wealth in outrageous and unacceptable ways. The poor and the thinking middle class have no outlets for their grievances. Corruption is rife and the ways of dealing with it are haphazard and inefficient. The media is tame and the Government, for all its pious words, has yet to show an ability to reform itself.

It is a nation in a political straightjacket. Unless a reforming leadership emerges, it will, one day, implode.

It's not just the U.S economy in trouble, is it.
Greece, Spain, Cyprus,the EU and numerous others did not go to Iraq.

Congratulations to OLO on publishing this article. It shows that not all Australians are Yank-worshipers and sycophants.

Australia needs to come to terms with both the failing power of the U.S. and the danger of its ridiculous mission to control the world.

Yanks can't walk on water despite their high opinion of themselves. Australia needs to choose its allies carefully otherwise, in the future, it could find itself in the wrong camp.

Then Australia is in a perilous situation itself with its pathetic Government which is seriously divided and filled with hatred.