dogtowner, et al,
REF: A slightly different discussion,
I tend to think that you might (I say "might") be thinking of a Super Power in terms of a 20th Century standard. A vast majority of the strength of a 20th Century Super Power rested with its ability to project military force. In that arena, the US is still a formidable defensive force; but it has lost its ability to tame the beast. It has proven that it cannot flip even small nations like Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan. While the US can win every military engagement, it can no longer offer a leadership model or example that draws foreign indigenous populations to embrace once liberated.
(COMMENT)
But in today's world, in the 21st Century, one must think of a Super Power in different terms: Comprehensive National Power. This includes commercial influence, industrial influence, economic influence and political influence --- and to a lesser degree --- followed by military influence. The US has lost its industrial base. It can assemble major end-items; but cannot build them from scratch. That capacity is overseas; outsourced to the low bidder. The US has been stripped of its revenue from the middle class, acquired because the middle class was fully employed with new jobs coming on-line each year to absorb both the high school graduate and the college grad. That is gone. We have entered the first generation since WWII that does not have the reasonable expectation of attaining the same standard of living as the previous generation (as all the emerging generations do). Without the imported (outsourced) components, one cannot build a fighter jet, a tank, or even the simple radios within the cars. Your cellphone depends on the availability of these foreign components. And today, the Army talks in terms of Combat Brigades (something on the order of 33 today); not Divisions and Corps. The shear number of contractors hired by DOD alone demonstrates how dependent the force structure is on outside service support.
Today, a 21st Century Super Power is based on its ability to affect change on external economies. You are correct, without investing in the infrastructure nessary to bring America back in terms of commercial, industrial, and economic health, China becomes by default, the new emerging Super Power. But if it is not already there, it will only be another decade before it is universally recognized as the Power to recon with on any level.
For every dollar you have in your pocket, somebody else owns over half.
(QUESTION)
Who is the real Super Power?
Most Americans (in particular the Senior Leadership in Congress and the Administration) are resting on the laurels earned by previous generations and squandered by their inept management.
Most Respectfully,
R
