The world should get a wheelchair, put the US on it, and then drive it straight to the retirement home so that the rest of the world can move on with more important things e.g Climate ChangeHere I look at it a different way, and this is important I feel.
I completely do not see it that way, because I am old (almost), and you are young.
Since you are young, decline is something theoretical, that you only see in books and the TV.
From what I have seen, decline is a process, that is irreversible.
Decline cannot be controlled, it happens. It is a process. Hence, China cannot manage America's decline, no one can.
Maybe sometimes someone could think of something, and reverse their decline. That is possible, but very rare. Usually they muddle along downwards.
It just happens. Every year after year, there is less. The working class of America knows that feeling.
The other point of decline, getting lesser year after year, the weaker the working class becomes. It is all about BLM and not the working man in America.
That is the point about decline, it just happens, and we cannot control it, meaning it cannot be managed. And the other point about decline that the longer it goes on, the weaker they become.
Hemmingway wrote about that, that line is everywhere, about a couple of characters in his novel. One asked the other guy, how did you go bankrupt, the reply was, "It was gradually, the suddenly."
He knew.
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What this means in terms of strategy, I think the CCP already is implementing.
They follow the USA lead. If there is conflict, China gives the USA conflict. If there is peace, China give the USA peace.
Declines tend to make people exhausted. Just give them what they want. If it is more struggle, they exhaust themselves quicker.
That is the strategic outlook. If the CCP truly believes that the USA is in a irreversible decline, then all plans should be focused along those lines. Here probably means just do what the USA wants to do, no need to really do any different China initiatives.
Case in point, the trade war.
After implementing the Trump tariffs, fast forward a couple of years, and America is in a weaker position regarding compared to China, who trade volumes growing to record levels, even with America.
This trade war episode, it was not about management, or avoidance, it was head on tit for tat. China makes no initiative here with the US. China lets the Americans take the lead in this dance.
The more they dance, the one in decline (if true) will exhaust themselves quicker.
Well, there are many ways to take the angry old fart to the nursing home.
Ideally, you can lure him/her in with some bingo games, and Baywatch on the TV with some booze and pills on the regular schedule.
Or you can drag them kicking and screaming with the old man unloading every 12 gauge buckshot he has in the house.
Reading the above, I agree with Horse 100%.
The underlying fact of this decline is the decreasing competitiveness of Americans. This is most prominently reflected in education. Look at it another way, this whole COVID episode has more or less held back most American school kids around 1 grade (if not more), compare to their Chinese contemporaries. You won't see the effects for another 10+ years, but the effects are real and will be measurable.
When we look back after 10-20 years, it would seem as it came at light speed, but when you are in the middle of the maelstrom, things just goes on..........
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To be honest I do not think the US is declining. Whatever shortfalls they have in education, infrastructure, governance, they make up for it in their incredible geography and hyper-capitalist wealth accumulation that has been occuring over the past century.
Their population will continue to grow and continue to attract human and financial capital in the absence of a revolution or collapse. That is why my opinion is that it is essential for China to attempt to subvert and balkanise the US.
Their population will continue to grow and continue to attract human and financial capital in the absence of a revolution or collapse. That is why my opinion is that it is essential for China to attempt to subvert and balkanise the US.
I disagree.
That hyper-capitalist wealth accumulation is the very seeds of balkanization.
- Population growth is a component, but the quality of that population is far more prescient. If a large population was that much of a factor then how did India (and Qing) fall to the Brits?
- Human capital is attracted by material abundance and opportunity. Freedom and democracy sounds nice, but people rather have their Porsche Taycan, 6000 sq ft house and Pornhub.
- All of which is under pinned by the dollar and the elevated purchasing power it affords for Americans. So the question you have to ask is :"will the dollar reign supreme FOREVER?". Increasingly, the answer is NO. The dollar is staked to oil, and oil will slowly recede from primacy, predicated on fuel cell and tokamak technology, but the day will come.
- Once you see how the capital markets speeding up the process of hollowing out country, while creating increasingly bifurcated social and financial segments, you realize that the model set by postwar America is in its last decade or two.
- The interesting thing about this democratic system of ours it that we are uniquely incapable of pulling ourselves together outside of a tangible adversary. Look around, do you think New York State would help Oregon out for a decade to get its nuclear energy policy squared away for the common good? There is a reason why MAGA folks always think of single black mothers when it comes to welfare, when in reality it is white Americans are the majority recipients of payments.
solarz
Brigadier
Perhaps not, but it would be foolish to start a fire when you're downwind.
Gee. I've just watched secretary Blinken speaking on CNN to address the nation after pull out of Afghanistan.
Talk about wooden performance. He's worse than Al Gore. No wonder Wang had him for lunch. No charisma. Not even an orator. I dont think China has got too much to worry about with him and Biden at the helm.
Talk about wooden performance. He's worse than Al Gore. No wonder Wang had him for lunch. No charisma. Not even an orator. I dont think China has got too much to worry about with him and Biden at the helm.
When I say managing US decline and bruised ego , I meant sending more Gordon Chang double-agents to deceive the round eyes that China will collapse at any minute now while China enjoys run-away growth for another decade. I am convinced Comrade Chang did a great service to China with his misinformation and deceiving the round eyes that help delay the trade war by a decade or more. Let them indulge in their misinformation about China.
China brings the pain on the anglos for what they have wrought on China for these past years of attacking China:
This event is no different to the fall of the berlin wall, the collapse of the anglo american global hegemony to mere regional hegemon attempting to throw its weight around the world, like 12th century byzantium
What Trump does right, Biden does wrong. What Trump does wrong, Biden still does wrong.