February 27, 2010

America, A Big Historical Perspective

~ “LETTERS FROM AMERICA” - by The Metaphysical Peregrine ~













  1. That's a refreshing observation.
    Europe, on the other hand, seems to prefer to continue to hide behind America and even Obama, on the international scene, although there are many hypocrites with Iphones on the old continent who pretend that they would like to see America 'se casser la gueule'.

    When two unlikely choices for European Parliament* are elected- more, it would seem, to fetter them from assuming too much power, than to seriously represent Europeans, it's hardly surprising that they are unable to come up with anything more forceful than the spokesman of Ashton's ridiculous and inappropriate reaction to Gaddafi's djihad threat to Switzerland.

    And with Monsieur Trichet at the helm of the BCE, who seemed to be secretly hoping that his Bundesbank economic policy would encourage the world to adopt the euro instead of the dollar, it's hardly surprising that the euro zone will be the last to drag itself gasping and disillusioned to the surface of the deep, fetid swill of the economic crisis.


  2. You’re absolutely right in your main point: talk of American decline is unconvincing. During the late 1960s/early 70s things where a lot for Americans than they are now: OPEC forced up oil prices, unemployment reached record highs, and increased competition from Japanese industries had forced Nixon to devalue the dollar. But America has a kind of structural strength, which allowed it come back stronger than ever. There’s a great article by F Zakaria that defines the exactly what it is that makes America structurally superior to other nations.

    If you want to have a read, here’s a link: http://tinyurl.com/yjq83tn

    The article argues, however, that certain aspects of the American political system are compromising the dynamism that characterises the nation and makes it resistant to changing circumstances. This,I think, is what your president meant when he recently talked about the 'numbing' weight of politics and modern obstacles to reform.

    One small thing: You say Europe’s dominance ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall, etc. I'd put the date almost half a century earlier, i.e. the end of WWII in 1945. The War devastated and bankrupted most European nations (including Russia), leaving the US in a remarkable position of strength... and control over well over half the world’s economic product!

  3. @MP:

    Europe needs America far more than it likes to admit, and far more than America needs Europe. Yet, I’m afraid that, if Europe fails to timely adapt to the needs of the present time—in terms of culture, identity, values, but also in terms of economic, political, and military policies—and to achieve a common view on the future, then the US will follow. That’s also why all of us, Europeans and Americans, need to be cooperative with each other, I mean, we need to find the right balance between being cooperative and being independent, no matter how much this may offend our collective egos…

    P.S. Great post!