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The editor of the British cultural and political magazine Standpoint stated that "war, famine and pandemic have been familiar since the horsemen of the Apocalypse. More remarkable is the fact that Western civilisation constantly overcomes these terrors, renews itself and enables all humanity to share in its prosperity . . . Our civilisation has withstood dictators and depressions before" (Daniel Johnson, January 2009, p. 3, emphasis added throughout).
The bold title of his editorial is "We Decline to Decline." But will the West be able to forestall all the forces arrayed against it?
The United States is still the hub of Western civilization. Is American power waning? The prognosis of some insightful observers is not that encouraging.
The BBC News Web site reported on Nov. 21, 2008: "US economic, military and political dominance is likely to decline over the next two decades, according to a new intelligence report on global trends. The National Intelligence Council (NIC) predicts China, India and Russia will increasingly challenge our influence" ("US Global Dominance 'Set to Wane'").
(Europe, meanwhile, is a sleeper not yet in the picture of most intelligence services. But according to biblical prophecy, a new European-centered superpower will emerge to dominate much of the world. The Good News and its sister publication World News & Prophecy continually watch and report on developments within the European Union, a likely predecessor to a much more sinister, powerful and supremely authoritarian configuration.)
Paul Kennedy, professor of history and director of International Security Studies at Yale University, wrote that "overspending and military overstretch are contributing to U.S. decline and Asia's rise" ("American Power Is on the Wane," The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 15, 2009, p. 14). In another feature article this insightful observer said, "But it looks as if we- America, much of the rest of the world and its peoples-are in for a rough ride as 2009 unfolds" ("When Soft Power Meets Hard Choices," The Sunday Times, Jan. 25, 2009).
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