is america losing its status as a superpower?

[Lerodan Chinamerica]

Absolutely.

[Lerodan Chinamerica]

In recent days it seems like our economy is slower then the rest of the world and our political and military prowess has decline. Is America still a superpower?

Impeach Obama, Reducing DoD budget is theft, Tea Party 2015.

The Tea Party was originally founded to advocate generally lower spending and balanced budgets, but part of the movement has been hijacked by neo-cons who push for increased 'defense' spending.

[Britanic]

USA by definition is a Superpower, but losing status. The Definition is a Superpower has the ability to assert influence on a global scale effectively, the USA is, and has been for a while, loosing it's ability to do so effectively, therefor it's losing it's status.

[United Prefectures of Appia]

The Tea Party was originally founded to advocate generally lower spending and balanced budgets, but part of the movement has been hijacked by neo-cons who push for increased 'defense' spending.

And now it's called the Teabagger Astroturf.

Actually I stand corrected, it's called the Confederate Taliban.

[Wind in the Willows]

Slowly but surely.

[NERVUN]

Do you people even know what superpower means? It's not about having just the biggest penis. It's also about being able to hit everyone with your big penis. Because if you're just sitting on your ass not doing anything with your big penis, you might as well be like the other guy who has a small penis.

Theres no need to be a patronizing douche. I never said the UK or Poland where a superpower, just that that the fact that China was involved in the Maylsian airways crash isn't relevant to who has superpower status.

And there's no need for you to be flaming either. Knock it off.

[Genivaria]

Yes, and quite frankly that's ok.
In my eyes the age of nationalism is coming to an end and the age of humanism is underway.

[Threlizdun]

The United States will retain its superpower position for quite some time. Of course, no nation remains dominant forever. We are seeing some lessening influence in the world, which is generally a good thing.

[The Sotoan Union]

Even if the US was slowly weakening I don't think it will just be replaced by another country. In my opinion the age of hegomonys is disappearing. The whole world has become more globalized then ever. Every country economically depends on every other country, and only through global free trade have the worlds powers risen to prominence. We will always have giants, but maybe no longer hegomons.

[Genivaria]

Even if the US was slowly weakening I don't think it will just be replaced by another country. In my opinion the age of hegomonys is disappearing. The whole world has become more globalized then ever. Every country economically depends on every other country, and only through global free trade have the worlds powers risen to prominence. We will always have giants, but maybe no longer hegomons.

No hedgemonys, only one Federation.

[AiliailiA]

Yes. Partially because of Neoliberal Fantasy land economics and the bountiful amount of americans running around shrieking "MUH CAPITALISM."
And partially because of the rise of the E.U drawing power further east.

Any fan of western civilization worth their salt shouldn't be focusing on retaining US hegenomy. It's a doomed project. We should be focusing on forging a network alliance to secure the rights and liberties of the world, and to protect the west.

The future is a US-EU diarchy, with the "outlying" western nations having significant sway.

I agree completely. Not being of the US it's not my place to say but I'm glad you said it.

The US should slash it's military budget a lot. Other western countries should quit being freeloaders and pick up the tab.

The UK, france, and Poland are paying their way. The rest appear to be freeloading.

Are you making the mistake of using absolute spending figures rather than proportional?

The World Bank says Poland is slacking it, in military spending per GDP. Neither France nor the UK come anywhere near matching US spending.

Those that do are middle Eastern nations (eg Saudi Arabia 8.0% !), very poor nations (unfortunately) and Russia/ex-Soviet republics (ie, the other side).

These allies you accuse of slacking. Do they include Israel (5.7%)? Singapore (3.5%)? Colombia (3.3%)? Pakistan (3.1%)?

US is listed as 4.2% of GDP on military spending. The allies you applauded spend 2.4% (UK) 2.3% (France) and 1.9% (Poland).

A united EU army would go some way to correcting this.

I think the EU nations will want to keep their own militaries for operations not approved by all of Europe (eg, the French intervention in Mali or now Central African Republic, which even if the EU had done would not have been as timely).

But I agree there should also be a unified force, under the command of the European Parliament. Perhaps half the total force, and together they could afford for instance aircraft carriers which France or the UK alone barely can.

France will be the sticking point though. If they won't contribute, Germany won't weaken its own defence to contribute to an EU force, and given the economic size of those two countries that's our dream busted.

[Rio Cana]

Yes, and quite frankly that's ok.
In my eyes the age of nationalism is coming to an end and the age of humanism is underway.

I do not think so.

This is the definition of Nationalism.

Nationalism is a belief, creed or political ideology that involves an individual identifying with, or becoming attached to, one's nation

Generally, unlike the major powers, smaller nations have tended to be stepped on. This has created a nationalistic feeling in many of its citizens. They know that because of there smaller size that they will never be 100% free from being stepped on in one way or another by larger major nations.

This modern song is nationalistic. Its from from the Dominican Republic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9KfUDBsNKY

Another nationalistic video from Dominican Republic. Raising of the flag on a high mountain by a well known land owning family. Theirs a large city down there somewhere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CsXgvk1e5Q

[AiliailiA]

Even if the US was slowly weakening I don't think it will just be replaced by another country. In my opinion the age of hegomonys is disappearing. The whole world has become more globalized then ever. Every country economically depends on every other country, and only through global free trade have the worlds powers risen to prominence. We will always have giants, but maybe no longer hegomons.

Well firstly, free trade isn't all that free at present. There's government subsidy of industries in many countries (in the US it's primarily the arms industry), there's considerable black market trading, and there are still tariffs and excise. But I know what you mean: the relatively free market where the restrictions on it are similar between nations.

I think that kind of free trade has attained 'critical mass'. Countries that try to opt out (with higher than average tariffs, greater than average subsidies) won't be ruined, they just won't grow their economies as fast as they could. In the long term they would regret it.

Full-blooded isolationism, on the other hand, would lead to ruin for any but the largest and most diverse economies with diverse resources and strategic isolation to cut down black marketeering ... I would say that is only the US and Russia. Isolationism wouldn't be good for them, it might mean negative growth on the trend, but it wouldn't be utterly disastrous as it would be for any other country.

Free trade won't have won, though, until war is seen as economic suicide. A few decades until then I think.

[Seleucas]

Yes, thank God.

[AiliailiA]

hegomons.

No hedgemonys ...

Hegemon, hegemony, hegemonies you silly hedgehog

[Pandeeria]

Is the US a superpower?
Yes.

Is the US loosing it's status as Superpower?
Yes.

[America Libertaria]

Yup, I totally see Britain and Poland paying for their two carriers each. Oh wait...

Compared to Italy? Yeh, we're paying our way. Bitching that we can no longer afford to pay for your defence is just arrogance. Now we're simply paying for our own.
The British and French are paying for the defence of europe so you can all enjoy higher standards of living. We defended you so you could rebuild your shit economies over a period of 50/100 years.
That process is over, and now we expect you to start paying for your defence too.

The British and French paying for the defense of the rest of Europe? Haha no. America pays for the entire defense of Europe. Without America the militaries of Europe would be MUCH bigger.

[The Sotoan Union]

Even if the US was slowly weakening I don't think it will just be replaced by another country. In my opinion the age of hegomonys is disappearing. The whole world has become more globalized then ever. Every country economically depends on every other country, and only through global free trade have the worlds powers risen to prominence. We will always have giants, but maybe no longer hegomons.

No hedgemonys, only one Federation.

That sounds like a hegemony.

[The Sotoan Union]

Is the US a superpower?
Yes.

Is the US loosing it's status as Superpower?
Yes.

I'm going to see if I can change things up a bit.

Is the US losing its superpower status? No.

[Macedom]

He is right about most of NATO being freeloaders. Out of 28 member states, only 5 meet the required 2% of GDP defense spending. America, Great Britain, France, Turkey and Greece.

It doesn't matter though, because that 2% recommendation was created during the Cold War and currently NATO has no serious threats at all to respond to.

all i have to say to this is Russia

[AiliailiA]

It doesn't matter though, because that 2% recommendation was created during the Cold War and currently NATO has no serious threats at all to respond to.

all i have to say to this is Russia

Soviet Union > Russia.

Also, NATO now > NATO then.

[Vetalia]

Well, yes, the dipolar world of two superpowers was an anomaly created in the aftermath of WWII and the unipolar world of the 1990s-early 2000s was a historical anomaly. It's not so much the US is losing its status so much as other nations are rising.

[The Sotoan Union]

all i have to say to this is Russia

Soviet Union > Russia.

Also, NATO now > NATO then.

It's not like NATO doesn't still need a presence. I mean Russia is trying to gobble up some Ukrainian territory. Don't tell me they aren't still a military consideration.

[Arumdaum]

The future is a US-EU diarchy, with the "outlying" western nations having significant sway.

The influence of the US and EU is eroding as the developing world catches up with the nations that industrialized early.

[Arumdaum]

America is still a superpower, and it will still be throughout this century. No other country comes close.

The Chinese economy will overtake America's by the end of this decade. China's military rise will follow the acquisition of great economic power. By 2050, China will be much stronger than the United States.