A more apt comparison is between the America of the early 2000s and the Britain of the early 1900s. Is the United States repeating the United Kingdom’s decline, but on a larger scale?
In one area, the answer is clearly no. A century ago, most of the consumers and resources of the British Empire were located outside of the British Isles. The loss of India and other colonies turned Britain overnight from a power of the first rank into a medium-sized nation-state.
In contrast, the United States is the third-most populous nation in the world. And while it has far-flung military bases, its demographic, industrial and commodity resources are located inside its own borders. Unless the lower 48 states go their separate ways, the United States will never experience anything like the dissolution of the British Empire and other colonial empires, including the Soviet Union.
In four other areas, however, the parallels between yesterday’s Britain and today’s America are striking and disturbing.
1. Deindustrialization
2. Financialization
3. Dysfunctional Education
4. Short-Termism vs. Long-TermismThe British Seeds of American Decline by Michael Lind – The Globalist
Tag Archives: Lower 48
The British Seeds of American Decline by Michael Lind – The Globalist
An Alaska state representative thinks the state may be a risk of a military attack from China
“Alaska is kind of beyond the Lower 48 and probably the first stop for any Chinese adventurism,” he said.
That’s not an unrealistic concern, Begich said.
Begich said he’s had briefings he can’t talk about, but the Department of Defense is concerned as well.
“There’s a reason the Defense Department is moving to an Asia-Pacific strategy,” Begich told legislators. “There’s a reason, and you partially mentioned it,” he said.
In interviews after his legislative address, Begich said the United States could face China on both economic and military fronts in Alaska and the Arctic.
Water crisis seen big threat to U.S. West and South – Technology & science – Science – msnbc.com
In all, more than one-third of all counties in the lower 48 states are at high risk of water shortages by mid-century as climate change combines with growing population, the study found. California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado also make the list of severely water-threatened areas.
An estimated $100 billion in crops needed for food, fuel and livestock feed grown in those areas could be threatened, according to the study. Food production and agriculture are the largest consumers of fresh water, requiring 100 times more than the amount used for daily personal needs,
Water crisis seen big threat to U.S. West and South – Technology & science – Science – msnbc.com
