Post #2, Will China Rise Above the U.S.?, Silbert

Will China Rise Above the U.S.?

Will the United States be succumbed to China’s recent power increase? As a powerful state in past history, many believe the United States is slowly deteriorating as a result of China’s recent power. In regards to recent years, China has been in the forefront of news, as they seem to be dominating in world politics, due to their extraordinary rapid growth and within their diplomatic actions. While their economy has become increasingly stronger, their recent growth in power has unfortunately, led many Americans to question the position of the United States, as they believe China will soon overthrow the United States as a whole. This then, raises the question of, will China rise above the United States, and if so- when will this change occur?


While the rising power of China has not been proven to cause a threat to the United States, it is important to note the swift action China has taken to become such a strong country. Since the 1970’s, China has quadrupled the size of its economy, trained and acquired a strong military, and become one of the strongest countries in the world; all while doing so in such a short period of time. This caused many to believe that America’s values and culture may become tarnished as a world power, ultimately leading to its demise. As this becomes more of a concern, historians believe that two things are likely to happen- when China’s power continually increases. They believe that one, China will implement their culture, laws, and institutional systems into the United States authority, thus leading to suspicion, lack of trust, and disagreement within the citizens of the United States. They also believe that, although the western ideals of human morality is wrong, the western order, and how the government and economy is run, can live on. 


While there is not yet a clear answer to whether or not China will use its power to overthrow the United States, it has been made certain that the do have the ability to conquer, if they deem necessary. They have proven themselves, through their economic role in the world, to have an advantage, thus if there ever were a struggle, more than likely they would come out of it victorious.

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/63042/g-john-ikenberry/the-rise-of-china-and-the-future-of-the-west

Blog Post #2 Rise of Russia

From settling in Jamestown, to setting up colonies, to the American Revolution, to the war of 1812, and much more, America has been driven to prove that it is a world power and should be taken seriously . The United States has fought, grown, and proved that it is a world power. It has developed its own law, military, economy, trade, and international recognition. The US has acquired land, accepted immigrants, and embraced other world cultures. It has achieved world power and is considered the strongest and most powerful country in the world. Becoming a world power can be a long process, and includes many factors. Russia is also among other countries that may be considered a “great” state. It is arguable that there may not be room in the world for numerous major world powers to coexist in peace. It is also arguable that American is too powerful and there should be more of a balance.

            According to an article written by Karoun Demirjian and Michael Birnbaum in the Washington Post, Russia believes that the United States has too much power and is too influential. In a speech made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, he expresses his resentment toward the United States. Demirjian and Birnbaum quote Putin accusing the United States of trying to “reshape the world” for its benefit. It was said to be a “fiery speech”, and “the most anti-American speech of his fifteen years as the Russian leader”.  Russian has the potential to rise as a power and sees America as an obstacle. Russia’s outlook on the United States’ world power can be comparable to the unipolar system. It is disputable that the US is the one great power and is dominant in political and cultural context. Although there are other great powers in the world, the US is the one dominant power, they do influence political and cultural context throughout the world.

            There are some that believe the world can exist in the unipolar systems and these declinists consider it inevitable that the hegemony will end. Many people believe that China is the United States largest competition and that China may be the key factor in the US losing its influence as a great power. The issue between Russia and Ukraine has brought a new aspect to the challenge for great power. According to the article in the Washington Post the issues at hand with the Ukraine “was the final straw that unleashed years of anti-Western anger.” Russia has the military, economic, trade, and international to be recognized as a great power already, but with this new fuel to the fire they may challenge the United States as “the” great power. According to Putin, Russia “is not asking anyone for permission” in its conduct of world affairs.

            If China and Russia rise to power quickly, the world could fall under the multipolar system. This could be a problem for balancing because of certain alliances, especially if there is any conflict between these three great states. Maybe it is best for the world to remain in the unipolar system and have America as the “great power” because they are too strong and they balance many other states, that the world could lose order if the United States were to fall as a power.

It is likely that further problems with Russia will continue in debates over Ukrainian problems. According to a State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, although the United States is not looking for a problem, “the United States does not seek confrontation with Russia, but we cannot and will not compromise on the principles on which security in Europe and North America rest.” The United States is not the only country with nuclear power weapons, or military strength, strong economy, or positive trading although they are the most influential politically and culturally. It is possible that the United States will be challenged as “the great power”. It is arguable that having the United States has the one major great power has kept order throughout the world and it should remain that way.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russias-putin-blames-us-for-destabilizing-world-order/2014/10/24/1c2e684f-6c00-41a0-8458-03533d644657_story.html

USA- A Weakening and Failing Nation - Juan Sarmiento

The United States of America is now a weakening state that will become a failed state. Ask anyone if they consider the USA a weak state or a failed state, they will immediately follow with a laugh or a confused look because of how outlandish that rare combination of words sounds. Look at 2013 Failed States Index, and it stands in the top 10% of least weak or failed states. It is obvious that the US is a major power, if not the major power of the world. It would be ridiculous and completely erroneous to say anything close to the idea that the US is a weak or failed state, but if you stopped and decided to look at the country not at an international level, but as a group of people in a vast land ruled by one government, it would be obvious that unless the great United States of America takes action in order to maintain its current prestige and power, the nation could be headed into weakness and eventually failure.

            People need to start remembering how many large and powerful empires, such as Greece, Rome, and even the British Empire, all rose to power and all fell eventually. It is not a ridiculous thing then to consider that the US could be headed in that direction, unless of course we look to learn from the past in order for this country to continue being a great one, even if for just for a little longer.

            If we focus solely on the factors used by the Failed States Index of 2013, we can see how the US is beginning to suffer more and more in respect to each category. Unplanned for troubles such as widespread disease and natural disasters make it difficult for the government to protect its people. With the recent Ebola virus outbreak, there is major panic by the population with fear of it killing thousands of people and the government not being able to protect its people. In 2005 with Hurricane Katrina, many died and were displaced from their homes, and help took way too long to arrive, making all question the effectiveness of our government. Another event that left us questioning everything was the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the question of our safety in a country that many believe the rest of the world hates them.

            Other indicators of weakness, such as group grievances and violations of civil/human rights, with events such as the murdering of multiple (black) teenagers all around the country, or the 99% protesters on Wall Street, have led many to protest, creating social unrest. They contribute to the foreshadowing of a state in the dawn of weakness and failure. Tying all the indicators together such as government inefficiency, group grievances and violation of human rights, many Americans truly fear and oppose the US government. It is my belief that unless the United States begins to fix the overall consensus that the government will not look to help its citizens unless those running it benefit, the country will eventually make its way up the Failed States Index until a second civil war for social equality brakes out.

Post #2, The Iraq War and Post 9/11 America

Blog Post #2

            On September 11, 2001 the world as we knew it changed. Everything was a target; everyone was a target; there felt as if there was nowhere to hide. The tragedy that was executed that day changed the course of history for the next decade and beyond. Americans were overwhelmingly sad, angry, and upset and were ready to hit back at the terrorists who threatened their way of life. With this newfound zeal to eliminate our enemies, President George W. Bush declared that the US was going to war in Afghanistan against al-Qaeda in Operation Enduring Freedom less than a month after the 9/11 attacks sparking the begging of the War on Terror. In Afghanistan, the War on Terror seemed to have been a rational course of action with American and Coalition forces eliminating members of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organization. While US and Coalition forces were fighting against terrorists in Afghanistan, back in Washington, President Bush was obsessing with the idea of toppling a dictator in Iraq. This new agenda item seemed as if it was from left field, as Iraq had not a hot topic issue for years. So why did President Bush launch the Iraq war in 2003?

            Many argue that President Bush attacked Iraq because of the country’s abundance of oil, while the President and others argue that we went to war in Iraq because Saddam Hussein was building weapons of mass destruction. My belief is that President Bush used the vulnerability, fear, and anger that the American people felt after 9/11, the same feelings that led to the launch of Operation Enduring Freedom, to take out an old enemy in Saddam Hussein.

            I believe this because Iraq was on the radar of President Bush since the Gulf War in the 1990s. Because the US was unable to topple the tyrannical regime in Baghdad during the Gulf War, it became a top priority for President Bush to once and for all remove Saddam from power. I believe that because of the anger and vulnerability that followed 9/11, President Bush found a window of opportunity to finally take down his longtime foe, Saddam Hussein, and he jumped for it.

Cyber Attacks: Why the U.S. Should Fear China, Blog #2, Dignan

       As China bolsters its economy and increases its military spending, many who study International Relations pose the question: “Should the U.S. fear China?” My answer, simply, would be yes. While I don’t see China initiating a traditional military mission on the U.S. anytime in the foreseeable future, I could certainly see it using non-traditional methods, like cyber attacks, to diminish the U.S.’s position as the global hegemony.

            Mearshimer states that China is probably more dangerous than any hegemony the U.S. faced in the twentieth century – and this is a scary thought. In the twentieth century alone, the U.S. took part in major military operations against Nazi Germany, Iraq, Korea, and Vietnam – just to name a few. Ikenberry notes in “Rise of China and Future of the West,” that China’s influence in the international arena grows as the U.S.’s position as the global hegemony erodes. He says realists argue that China will use its growing power to influence and shape the rules of the international system to better suit its interests. One of China’s primary interests, like most states, is probably to establish itself as a hegemony.

            Over recent years, China’s economy has grown significantly, and I expect it to continue this upward trend. A country’s economic power, a form of hard power, enables the state to increase its military power as well. As Mr. Shirk stated in his lecture about the Rise of China, China is expected to surpass the U.S. in economic power in 2030. This increase in economic power will enable them to amp up its military strength. However, it is doubtful that China will ever surpass the U.S. in military spending. If China wishes to dominate the international system as the global hegemony, it will have to resort to non-conventional methods rather than customary military action.        

            One method I predict China will use to secure its rank as a hegemony is cyber attacks. There have already been multiple harbingers indicating that this is a potential strategy for China (just check out some of these news articles from this week about China and cyber attacks: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/10/21/apples-icloud-service-suffers-cyber-attack-in-china-putting-passwords-in-peril/; http://www.fastcompany.com/3037336/china-launches-cyber-attack-as-new-iphones-arrive). I believe cyber attacks pose a great threat to the security of our international system. Society relies so heavily on the Internet – for everything from people tweeting about what they had for breakfast to the government storing top-secret information. China allegedly has already launched attacks on the new iPhone 6 to hack into user’s personal information. In modern times, the information stored on laptops and cell phones is often quite personal and many people don’t want their privacy infringed upon. If American citizens don’t want the NSA snooping on their private information, I can guarantee that they probably won’t feel comfortable with the Chinese government hacking into their personal Internet information.

            But cyber security not only poses threats to individuals, it also can be use as an attack on foreign governments. If China were to hack into the U.S. government’s databases, it could easily destroy us. They could take command of our military or possibly detonate weapons of mass destruction with the click of a button halfway around the world. While these scenarios are extreme and probably unrealistic, it is worth noting that China could possibly secure a position as a hegemony in the international system through the non-traditional method of cyber attacks.

I predict that these cyber attacks will be prevalent in modern and future international relations. In order for the U.S. to secure its position as the global hegemony, it is important to protect ourselves and our government against foreign cyber attacks.