Clinton: China or Europe Will Replace U.S. as Top Power

NewsMax.com ^ | 5/02/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

Ex-president Bill Clinton predicted this week that either Communist China, which helped bankroll his 1996 reelection campaign with hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal contributions, or the European Union, would replace the United States as the world's number one power within the next 30 years.

"In all probability, we won't be the premier political and economic power we are now," Clinton told the Washington Post in an interview from Mexico on Thursday. Saying the shift would occur within "a few decades," the ex-president cited the growth of China's economy and Europe's already formidable economy as factors that would doom continued U.S. supremacy.

Clinton said the question of whether China or Europe would replace the United States depended on how their respective governments invested in military might. While Europe's defense investment has been minimal since World War II, China now has the fastest growing military budget in the world.

In 1996, the Clinton administration approved the transfer to Beijing of key missile guidance technology which enabled China to hit most major U.S. cities with its intercontinental ballistic missile fleet.

Clinton offered his prediction to the Post in an attempt to clarify comments he made to an Australian audience in February, where he warned "This is a unique moment in U.S. history, a brief moment in history, when the U.S. has preeminent military, economic and political power. It won't last forever. This is just a period, a few decades this will last."

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

China/Taiwan
Clinton Scandals

[My2Cents]

Very true. A communist China, and a socialist Europe, will never top the US.

[Nick Danger]

I believe it will be China's century unless they mismanage their economy.

Or their Severe, Acute, public health issues.

[ThreePuttinDude]

In 1996, the Clinton administration approved the transfer to Beijing of key missile guidance technology which enabled China to hit most major U.S. cities with its intercontinental ballistic missile fleet

---

This will be the 2nd most memorable part of Bill Clintons legacy....
Thank God for that....

[arkfreepdom]

China is a paper tiger. They do not have a political system that is even close to stable. No one is going to challenge the US for many decades....if then.

[Cordova Belle]

I'nm not sure who to be madder at: Clinton for saying it, or NewsMax for repeating it.

[facedown]

...Europe's already formidable economy...

Huh? Compared to what? Antarctica?

[RightWhale]

That's it. It's over, Bill. You are not speaking for me, and as a motivational speaker, you are done. You are fired, go back to your van down by the river and wait for the next time we need our national spirit crushed.

[AmericaUnited]

Clinton and all his ilk will be on the ashheap of history and the US will still be the greatest!

[breakem]

Oh what's a few thousand deaths in such a large herd?

I believe the tension is capitialism vs communism, Which will drive the other. My money is on the money.

[Irish Eyes]

Why do people continue to quote this has been? The only thing good is that they called him the EX President.

I just wish that clinton knew he was the EX presdent.

[AmusedBystander]

Every dog has their day in the sun. Why at one time or another just about every country on the planet has been the "leader" of the world. But the US won't give up the title in our lifetimes.

[breakem]

add....and the Cray supercomputers to run the software.

[Captain Shady]

Ex-president Bill Clinton predicted this week that either Communist China, which helped bankroll his 1996 reelection campaign with hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal contributions, or the European Union, would replace the United States as the world's number one power within the next 30 years.

Maybe so. No nation stays on top of the heap forever.Who knows what the future holds? Maybe we'll be sneaking across the border into Mexico one day while wealthy Mexicans refer to us as "Dry-Backs".

[Poohbah]

Oh what's a few thousand deaths in such a large herd?

If they don't grow a brain REALLY QUICKLY and figure out how to handle this mess, it's not going to be a "few thousand deaths."

It'll be a few million, and it will come VERY quickly.

But before it gets that far, there won't be anyone who will want to trade with China. The perception will be that it's too risky to one's health.

[Centurion2000]

Bill Clinton predicted this week that either Communist China, which helped bankroll his 1996 reelection campaign with hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal contributions, or the European Union, would replace the United States as the world's number one power within the next 30 years.

Nostradamus he ain't ..... syphlitic disbarred scumbag searching for relevency he is.

[vetvetdoug]

We keep letting illegal aliens into our country this will be true. Clinton is just predicting what he engineered.

[xm177e2]

Old Europe is exactly that--it's weighted down with old people who need pensions and other care from the state (remember, the Euros promised their old people a lot more in terms of gov't assistance back when they were younger--and taxed them more back then--so the old Europeans don't have nearly as much in savings, they were counting on the state). The European economy will stagnate because of higher and higher taxes needed to pay for the elderly. Toung white people aren't having a lot of kids, certainly not enough to meet replacement population. The people who are having kids are in large part Muslims--and they don't always fit in very well with mainstream European society (it's worse in some countries than in others, France has it the worst). Muslim integration into Europe, combined with their stagnant economy, will be the two biggest issues in Europe for a long time to come. We are in no danger of being overtaken by Europe.

China has the potential to overtake us, in terms of people, but the state has dumb policies which impede the growth of the economy, corruption is rampant, and most of the chinese are peasant farmers. If China got its act together, it could threaten us--but it would also threaten India, Russia, Japan, and Australia, and those four nations would probably work together (or at least two or three would) to keep China from becoming militarily dominant in the region.

Our military technology is so far ahead of everyone else that they can't threaten us--we can take out any armor or even bunkers with smart bombs, and when we get our lasers working, we'll be able to shoot down enemy ICBMs and then smaller missiles as well. We have by far the best armed forces in the world in every branch, including but not limited to the army, navy, air force, and CIA/special forces. We aren't falling to 2nd place any time soon--as long as we don't elect a president who wants it to happen.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

"This is a unique moment in U.S. history, a brief moment in history, when the U.S. has preeminent military, economic and political power. It won't last forever. This is just a period, a few decades this will last."

Only if another leftist like LBJ, Carter, or Clinton gain control again.

You know you are dealing with a pure socialist when they consider one's gain another's loss. A strong EU and China only mean better trading partners and a stronger US. They can't beat us without becoming us.

A big bump. You have it figured.

[tessalu]

Sure, China will probably emerge as the power of the next century, and Bill Clinton ought to know, for he sold out the USA, and sent all of our jobs to China, weakening us, and strengthing them.

[breakem]

The WalMart parking lot in Lake Elsinore is still crowded. Guess cotton and plastic don't transmit the disease. China will get on top of it with draconian quarantine measures.