21st century, the American century

 

One good thing that came out of Hurricane Sandy was I got some more time to think about some more things!!

                The reason I believe that the United States of America will survive the Great Recession is because I truly believe that America is a great country. I have always believed in the ‘America story’. But then why, precisely, is America so great?  And why will it still be a dominating force in the world?

                Freedom of speech, land of Opportunities, the Constitution and Equality are some of the popular answers to this question and I totally agree. But I wanted to be more real and precise. Hence, I came up with the following reasons:

·         Economically speaking, no country is as big as the United States of America. The second largest economy, China is a third of the size of the US economy. And given the current economic situation, the first spot on the economic ranking won’t change for quite some time.

·         I think more than the economic strength, it’s the military hegemony that will keep the U.S. as the most dominating force in the world. US spend almost $700B every year on defense and that total is more than the total spends of next 20 countries combine. Also, the largest and the most advanced defense companies are American.

·         Another major aspect which is often overlooked is its favorable geographic position. The huge arable land, best maritime transport system, oceans on east and west ends and politically and economically friendly countries on the north and south of the border.

·         US have a secret weapon to remain the most powerful country in the world; Code name- H1B. The H1B visas allow foreign workers in specialty occupations to work in the United States. The success of Silicon Valley is the prime example.

·         No country is as large and developed to even come close to challenge the US supremacy, both economically and militarily.

o   As long as Europe doesn’t speak one language it will never be a threat to American dominance. Plain and simple.  

o   China, I think will grow old before it becomes rich or gains military dominance. Thanks to its ‘one child’ policy and its ‘one party’ political system. One more thing to note here is that all of the prosperity of China is built on the willingness of the Americans and Europeans to buy its products.

                Time publisher, Henry Luce famously said, “20^th century, the American century”. I whole heartedly believe, “21^st century will be another American century”.