An article giving plenty of food for thought. The "American Century" articulated by Henry Booth Luce has come to an end and America has not realised, or is only slowing realising, that its economic power is slipping away. Europe is essentially finished as a world power grouping. The massive resources of Russia and Brazil combined with China's dynamism will see Europe and America fade into second position in the emerging power structure of the world.

Big subject. History tells us that empires have a used by date. I tend to think that instead of Europe and the US winding down, they will ratchet up their economies and compete with China.

No doubt that the USA is in major financial strife. Getting out of Iraq wouldn't hurt.

America need massive retooling and infrastructure rebuilding. It's a major job and will take at least 30-40 years. In my experience though (and I'm fairly old), once America gets going, once it has a mission, it's an economic juggernaut.

I don't agree at all re the fall of English. It's actually wiping out smaller languages in many southern hemisphere countries, especially in the Pacific and New Guinea. The problem isn't the rise of China, the problem there is the fact that English is so ubiqitious.

It's all a bit drama-queen.

>>In other words, we are likely witnessing the beginning of a rapid process of change that will leave Australia in a world that is totally unlike anything experienced in its written history<<

Well, like, duh.

Of course things will be different tomorrow. That is the nature of life.

But the impact on our daily lives will, I suggest, be almost imperceptible.

Unless you believe that one of these new up-and-comers is going to invade these shores, what, exactly, is the problem?

And why do I suspect the answer to all these niggling questions will be "read my book"...?

Relax, folks,

Australia will not be left out in the cold.

We are still, and for the forseeable future will be, the only country in the world with the four vital things. These are:

1. A surplus of food.

2. A surplus of minerals.

3. A surplus of energy.

4. Most important of all, a sea boundary.

She'll be right, mate.

Reg, could reckon you might be the one us more virile old thinkers are looking for.

Am a retired wheat cockie, going on 88, gained Honours in the Social Sciences also in later years, and do dare to suggest that just lately our OLO has been aping our media services and giving priority to already generalised stuff.

I also do wonder how a virtual US victory can be reported in Iraq not long after a Washington Post shock report about a US gunship swooping in arresting a group of Shias and letting a group of former Sunni insurgents go free.

Also there was little media cover about the discovery recently in US government archives about Henry Kissinger warning Richard Nixon that if Israel went militarily nuclear it would upset the balance of power in the ME to the point of war.

Such possibly dangerous news, sadly, seems to get slidden sideways also in our OLO programs.

Regards BB, Buntine, WA

Thanks Hotair and BB.

Otherwise it seems that Australian comforts and certainties, long nurtured by Anglo-American intellectual apartheid, will continue to shelter most of us from a rapidly shifting reality. Sadly, these comforts and certainties will not stop those with more energy, knowledge and purpose from crossing the waters, attracted by all our goodies, tripping us up and knocking us down. Pity that so many think glib cracks are an adequate response to the gathering challenge.