Labai įdomus straipsnis iš Asia Times, kur bandoma prognozuoti JAV, kaip imperijos, pabaigą žymiai anksčiau nei planuota: 2025aisiais, o ne 2050aisiais. Kyla įtarimas, kad mes netgi galime sulaukti to laikmečio, kai Kinija vienareikšmiškai perims pasaulio valdymą. Džiugina tik viena – VISOS imperijos miršta, tik tai gali užtrukti skirtingą laiką:
Despite the aura of omnipotence most empires project, a look at their history should remind us that they are fragile organisms. So delicate is their ecology of power that, when things start to go truly bad, empires regularly unravel with unholy speed: just a year for Portugal, two years for the Soviet Union, eight years for France, 11 years for the Ottomans, 17 years for Great Britain, and, in all likelihood, 22 years for the United States, counting from the crucial year 2003.
Future historians are likely to identify the George W Bush administration’s rash invasion of Iraq in that year as the start of America’s downfall. However, instead of the bloodshed that marked the end of so many past empires, with cities burning and civilians slaughtered, this 21st century imperial collapse could come relatively quietly through the invisible tendrils of economic collapse or cyberwarfare.
Straipsnio antroje dalyje pateikti keli galimi įvykių scenarijai, bet nė vienas iš jų nedžiugina…
Deja, tik mokantiems rusiškai…
