Very nice short report that gives the broad stroke version of an extremely important topic for the current military superpower (the US). The current economic superpowers (European Union, China, and the up and comming Russia) are about to show the US what the rest of the world cares about.

The commentary is thoughtful and provoking. A few nuances and perceptions do not seem to be as considered as others. "Liberal Democracy" is a term that perhaps does not collect the US destructive drift away from being a liberal democracy under Bush into becoming a regressive country where rich corporations control the press and the financing of expensive candidacies. And the present administration seems not interested in spreading democracy, rather in spreading unfettered capitalism ... More »

This is a very good opinion peice with limited sources.

I have been wondering why the emergence of China and Russia's new-found confidence have not been more a part of the presidential debates. The writer has put his finger on America's most important foreign policy challenge for the next 50 years, except that India and South America were not mentioned. This opinion is well worth reading. As journalism it fulfills the professional mission of informing beyond the trends of reporting and opinion elsewhere in the media.

The author smartly situates America's political challenges within the economic realities of Chinese and Russian developments, and also smartly reminds Americans to "walk the walk" values-wise, but he neglects to make the case for why the American value proposition is in fact competitive with the Russian and Chinese story lines. Various comments on the Guardian site chide him for being a rich white guy who doesn't acknowledge the poor and disenfranchised of the West. I think the piece ... More »

Love the lack of ideological sugar-coating. Just facts and straight talk. Go Brits!