Is American declining.... or is the World gaining?

Here is a link to an artic recently published by an online version of Al lazeera commenting on an intelligence article written by the United States government on the US and global forecasts in the upcoming future.
Al Jazeera English - Americas - US power 'to decline by 2025'

History is not static. There is an ebb and flow of every country's strength, be it economic, territorial, militarily, et. cet. Such as it was with the Ottoman Empire, Roman Empire, Nazi Germany, Persian Empire, the British Empire, but you can see what I"m driving at.
Let's get one thing straight. The United States isn't perfect. Mistakes have been made throughout its history along with spectacular successes. For those who regularly look at the negative side of America have to consider from where their prejudices lie. Do you look to and listen to only people who already agree with these prejudices? If a man stands at the bottom of a valley without bothering to climb the hills to see over the horizon, he can only listen to people who live in the valley at their word. True or not.The United States will not diminish, but I believe that other countries will grow. Far from not wanting this, the US should and will prosper with the lessening of its global burdens

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The Russian Agenda

The Russians are playing a game of realpolitik.
They've recognized with the transition of power form the Bush Administration to President-elect Obama that a golden opportunity was afforded them to help bolster their security needs.  As well as try to establish some sort of a sphere of influence in their former satellite countries.
They saw the weakened Bush administration could and would not be able to do anything when they invaded their neighboring country over the Ossetian mess.
But now they're threatening to place short range missiles near the Baltic states borders that could easily strike most of Europe.  IN what they call a response to the missile shield that Bush had put forth to protect Europe from rogue middle eastern states nuclear missile attacks.  The few interceptors that could possibly engage the incoming missiles in flight MAY be enough to deter small states plans to launch but never be able to stop a determined Russian missile attack.  Clearly the Russians are trying to reassert some form of dominance in the area.
And now this: the possiblility of Russian bombers capable of delivering nuclear bombs to the United States based in Cuba.
Testing.. always testing are the Russians.
It may not be a cold war and hopefully never a hot one, but for right now the Russians are tryying to get every advantage they can get from this time of controlled confusion in the US.  They may perceive our elections as a weakness to be exploited. I see them as a reaffirmation of the strength of the American system. 
Flawed as this slightly imperfect democracy, it is clearly a role model for the world.  Finally.  Once again.
WE shall soon see what comes next.....

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And the poll says

I came across an interesting article that cited a Gallup poll concerning how the Muslim world views themselves and their values.
Here is a direct quote from the article:
“Majorities of both men and women in many predominantly Muslim countries want to see Islamic principles, Sharia, as a source of legislation. These respondents have much in common with the majority of Americans who wish to see the Bible as a source of legislation. Both groups emphasize the importance of family values and are deeply concerned about issues of social morality. In fact, what respondents in the Muslim world and a significant number of Americans say they admire least about Western civilization is an excessive libertinism in society.”
So, what this seems to be telling us is that both people in the West and Muslim countries want to base their laws on their respective predominant religions.
Fine. However I notice that in Muslim countries that their predominant religion is what ----Islam right? It probably would, could, and will be a fine set of guidelines for these countries. But most of the Arab countries so far as I know aren't democracies. And yes, democracy and islam should be able to coexist. Its their leaders and the extremists in these countries that subvert the religion to their own ends. Islam is a stricter religion than some making, I believe, it easier to channel its immense power and passions to less than desirable ends.
But in the west, with its more traditional democracies that embrace a wider degree of beliefs and religions, its harder to push religion upon the government.
Don't fet me wrong. Christian values are excellent guidelines for the laws made in the west. I happen to believe in them myself. But there has to be be a separation between church and state.
Let our laws be guided by basic moral precepts..... and let people choose what religion to follow as a matter of free will.... not because strict religious laws would force them to.

Russian Relations

I recently came across an article online from a site called Interfax.ru. Here's a link: http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?id_issue=11975866. In the article, a Mr. Konstantin Sivkov, the first vice president of the Russian Academy of Geopolitical Problems, states that there is a three way conspiracy between China, the United States and the European Union to conquer and divided up Russia within the next decade.
My god! Apparently our country doesn't have the market cornered on crackpots espousing lunatic ideas! Besides the fact that the US hasn't actually kept any territory its gained by conquest since....when again exactly??
There are numerous arguments against such a scenario never happening. The US military forces are already stretched thin the the regional conflicts we're already embroiled in, let alone starting World War III. Another is, the European Union surely would rather solve its problems in a peaceful manner. These are social and economic problems, not territorial ambitions for goodness sake! And cold reality states that we'd never want China taking a huge chunk of Russian territory and resources.
The only way this view has countenance in the Russian government would be to bring the country together on the domestic front. An us against them mentality that can be quite dangerous if not kept under control.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be perusing some Russian real estate literature..... after all, I'll need to be ready to purchase my new dacha along the Volga River won't I??

Enemies at the Gates

I'm going to have to do a little catching up since it's been quite a while since my last post.
Like the Roman Empire which had physically extended its borders to help protect the core republic in a physical manner, the United states has done so in an economic, diplomatic, and the projection of military power form.
Power and influence of a nation state, like the world's oceans. have an ebb and flow to them. For instance, the old Soviet Union created a buffer zone of client states between it and Western Europe and the United States after World War II. All across the world the Russians dabbled in other countries internal affairs, providing aid and armaments to any who espoused their ideals. To counter this, the United States provided help to any who said they were an anti-communist. to any one, democratic leaders to fascist dictators. (see Vietnam) Now, the soviet Union is gone and missile defense systems are being placed in former Warsaw -bloc countries. Ebb and flow.
America's influence has been squandered away by well-meaning men and women till it would not be easy to count our allies on one hand. Orly with a few countries at our side will we face the new threats in the world.
Iran. This country continues the development of its nuclear program. It's goals: becoming an even greater world player rather than a regional one. Two, to beocme the dominant country in all the middle east. Three. To destablise Iraq, stopping democratic reforms there, replacing it with a theological state. Four. Pin the US in Iraq.
N. Korea. The North's leader desperately wants to be relevant. Kept from expanding influence north (China of course), he can only look south. The south which (unfortunately for him, has a highly educated, motivated, for the most part prosperous population). Rather than admitting mistakes and opening his country up to reforms, he will keep power and try to blackmail the surrounding countries and the US with nuclear development.
Russia. Trying to gain in influence in the world again. It's trying to do this with oil politics with parts of its former federation. It will soon try to influence middle east politics from which it has been absent for a while. Just recently Putin accuses the US of starting a nuclear arms race. Is this a prelude to the real thing?
China. In a curious move, tested an anti-satellite weapons system, downing an old communications satellite. Surely their leadership knew what the world and the US reaction would be? It's hard to believe a real freeze in relations with this country due to the massive economic ties that bind our countries. Still, its curious.
Radical Muslims. Unlike conflicts with countries, economic systems, territorial ambitions, this will eventually be our biggest threat. They will fight with propaganda, and terrorist attacks. It will take generations if at all to sway back middle eastern opinion about the United States. They literally want the destruction of western civilization. Period.
The list can go on and it will, enough to fill a book actually but this is the bare boned highlights that I've come up with and will expound upon in the upcoing days.
Take care and stay safe.

Blog Overview

Hello, and welcome to my blog! First I'd like to explain why I chose the name American Empire for its title. Actually I take some umbrage at those who say that the United States is creating an empire in either the traditional or noveau sense.
Except for the original Native Americans that peopled this continent before the first European settlers, the United States is an immigrant nation. Founded by people who want to be here, in the face of political, religious, or ethnic persecution. Because of this, the American people are used to a certain individualistic sense of personal freedom that may not translate to differing cultures throughout the world.
Cultures and nations that haven't had a tradition of indual freedoms may not actually welcome the well meaning Americans to help change their lives. Indeed, many wold prefer a more restrictive way of living if it meant security and food on the table.
In summary, I hope this blog may help Americans realize to be more circumspect on our foreign policies,as well as our economic policies and how they are perceived by the rest of the world.