[Reader-list] 2025: the end of US dominance

[Rana Dasgupta]

Dear Taha

On a morning like this...

I have to say I thought the document was of interest in more limited
ways than you - in the sense that it is an internal US government report
that is focussed on policy formulation.  It is interesting as a sign of
how the US government talks to itself rather than anything else - and as
you say, many other forms of discourse have already travelled much
further along the same lines.

Four years ago, the US government told itself that US dominance of
global affairs would continue for the forseeable future; it can no
longer speak with that confidence.  This loss of confidence is, I think,
interesting, but it is also inherently neither good nor bad - it remains
to be seen how the Obama administration will take it on.

> consensus building arguments. It seems like after the mind numbing, eye 
> inverting, psycho drama of -change- and yes-we-can, the hydra is making 
> its presence felt. Telling all of us, that now it is time to go back to 
> 'serious', 'expert oriented', 'hard-quantitative data analysis'. 

Does this document merit such resentment?  Does it have the rhetorical
power you give it?

(And why "mind numbing, eye inverting"?  Is only the "hydra" worthy of
your respect?)

Peace

R


Frankly
> speaking, I felt relieved reading this document. It had the smell of old 
> familiarity.Like one more carefully articulated position of the hegemon 
> to reengage with the new world albeit under old premises.