iAtollah
Favorite Answer
Yes, militarily, culturally and economically, for the time being.
gaudioso
Most Powerful Country
Show Me The Doh!
AMERICA has been the world's leading economic power since 1871. It has contributed some 30% on average to world GDP since 1960 and made up 22% of the cake in 2011 (at market exchange rates). China meanwhile, contributes just 10%, but has seen its share of world GDP rise meteorically, from just 1.8% in 1991. The perception in some countries that America is no longer the world's pre-eminent economy is therefore somewhat premature.
According to a new poll carried out in 21 countries by the Pew Research Centre. There has been an increasing swing towards China; in 2008 just one country polled thought China more economically powerful than America, now 11 do. The residents of the two countries at the heart of the discussion seem to have a rather self-deprecating view of themselves: on balance, Americans believe China to be more economically powerful, whereas the Chinese think America is. Perceptions aside, on current trends, China will surpass America somewhere around 2018.
少林 Yoda
It's a paradox. The USA is the most powerful nation in the world, but it is not as powerful as regular people think. That's why both Vietnam and Iraq went so badly for the USA. People thought the USA is the strongest nation, so it can fight wars with small countries with partial commitment. (or no commitment, like bay of pigs). We could have won Vietnam if we had 2 million soldiers, 80% of the Navy, the entire Marine Corps, the entire Air force, and the same amount of tanks and guns as we did in WW2. If we maintained that commitment for 12 years, Vietnam would now be Japan of the South Pacific. Same with Iraq. If we conscripted or enlisted 4 million men several hundred thousand tanks, the entire air force and navy, left afghanistan, and made soldiers do 4 or 5 year tours of duty, and stayed in Iraq for about 20 years, we could make it the largest Muslim democracy in the region, and a constitution that guarantees civil liberties and freedom of religion.
The theme is America is powerful, but the public thinks political and cultural power are the same as military conquest power. Wrong. America's stupider presidents and secretaries of defense think countries can be beaten with a handful of green berets and drones and a few billion dollar stealth bombers. Then the public gets upset if one thousand casualties occur. America is a strong country, but it tends to think it's invicible and acts shocked when soldiers die in war or the war takes longer than the four year election cycle.
Somalia, Yemen, North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Venezuela: These are all "weak" countries where America could lose a war if they underestimated their enemies.
Brad here
Maybe,...if it was left to flourish on it's own without corrupt intervention.
But, "being the most powerful country"
cannot be further from the truth if we just do it all on a massive "charge card"..
Look at it this way
In the 1930's Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared America Bankrupt.
Now apply that same situation to your own household.
Would you say that a persons family is powerful
even when they are drowning in irrevesible debt ?