The Future of American Power

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/04/the_future_of_american_power.html

The Future of American Power

“The emerging international system is likely to be quite different from those that have preceded it. A hundred years ago, there was a multipolar order run by a collection of European governments, with constantly shifting alliances, rivalries, miscalculations, and wars. Then came the duopoly of the Cold War, more stable in some ways, but with the superpowers reacting and overreacting to each other’s every move. Since 1991, we have lived under a U.S. imperium, a unique, unipolar world in which the open global economy has expanded and accelerated. This expansion is driving the next change in the nature of the international order. At the politico-military level, we remain in a single-superpower world. But polarity is not a binary phenomenon. The world will not stay unipolar for decades and then suddenly, one afternoon, become multipolar. On every dimension other than military power — industrial, financial, social, cultural — the distribution of power is shifting, moving away from U.S. dominance. That does not mean we are entering an anti-American world. But we are moving into a post-American world, one defined and directed from many places and by many people.”

A very thought provoking article which I found via my good stumble ‘friend’ atongchan
http://atongchan.stumbleupon.com/

By George, its time to raise the flag! – Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2007/04/20/nosplit/ftgeorge20.xml


Saint George is the pride of England’s throne,
From east to west he holds his own
And none may dare in their pride to say,
That Saint George’s Cross has seen its day
Saint George for merry England

When battle clouds at evening frown,
And the sun of peace in shade goes down,
The meteor flag shall its radiance cast
Lit up by the light of the gorgeous Past
Saint George for merry England


好好学习天天向上

This is a famous saying by Mao Zedong and can often be seen in Chinese schools. A literal translation is ‘Good good study, day day up’ , a better translation would be ‘Study hard, keep improving’.

This is also an example of Mao’s distinctive calligraphy.