Who is/will be the strongest country in the world?

[Laerrus]

Before Trump took office, I would have told you the US does. Afterwards? I'd say Russia pretty much grabbed us by the pussy.

[Deleted]

Cicero said "money is the sinew of war." back in the year 0 or so.


United States: US$410.8 billion (18% of total China exports)
Hong Kong: $334.3 billion (14.6%)
Japan: $135.9 billion (6%)
South Korea: $101.5 billion (4.4%)
Germany: $69.2 billion (3%)
Vietnam: $66.4 billion (2.9%)
United Kingdom: $59.7 billion (2.6%)
Netherlands: $59.6 billion (2.6%)

Current top Chinese trading partners.

Assuming China's growth is real and not just on propaganda on paper, like the Soviet economy that eventually turned out to be full of... nothing. Commies aren't exactly known for their honesty.

Besides, most Chinese products are still just copies. They lack the ability to genuinely innovate something new; the natural result of living in a centrally controlled system that brutally suppresses any freedom of thought.

[NED funded]

The US has a lot of staying power and cultural power especially within its own borders. Even if cataclysm struck tomorrow and the US government was toppled and dead and cities were in ruins, its shear numbers and arms would make it a very powerful force for generations after such a theoretical doomsday scenario.

In the somewhat distant future I will be it will be an African country simply because of high birthrates and them being plausibly some of the last large populations left that they could numerically dominate anyone else and by then all western, middle eastern, Asian and Latin American countries will be deep into demographic winter. While maybe not a technological superpower or anything like what the United States has built, the shear numbers and youthful vitality will likely allow it to have great power anyway do to economic vitality driving it ahead.

What do you mean? Numbers=/= quality.

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damn, india is high xD

Yeah, the size of their population allows it for a bigger market.

[Theodarzna]

What do you mean? Numbers=/= quality.

Numbers equals power. The future belongs to whoever is physically there and unless America is willing to commit genocide ect, there will be a date in which our population is lower and lower and also mostly aged. It is hard to be an economic powerhouse and rule the planet as a nation of geriatrics.

[NED funded]

Numbers equals power. The future belongs to whoever is physically there and unless America is willing to commit genocide ect, there will be a date in which our population is lower and lower and also mostly aged. It is hard to be an economic powerhouse and rule the planet as a nation of geriatrics.

GDP is showing signs of not being dependant to the population anymore, so as long as we have an educated workforce it should not be a problem.

[Theodarzna]

GDP is showing signs of not being dependant to the population anymore, so as long as we have an educated workforce it should not be a problem.

Education is meaningless if there are too few physical consumers. GDP might be a somewhat bogus or fungible number in this respect if it can argue that "Our economy is great and we are doing great!" even if the population is half its current size and mostly over the age of 70.

[NED funded]

Education is meaningless if there are too few physical consumers. GDP might be a somewhat bogus or fungible number in this respect if it can argue that "Our economy is great and we are doing great!" even if the population is half its current size and mostly over the age of 70.

We can increase our standards of living. Fewer people means that those fewer are richer.

[Theodarzna]

We can increase our standards of living. Fewer people means that those fewer are richer.

For a time, fewer people also means fewer people to buy things / sell things to. It also becomes problem in a democratic society. More over how would standard of livings rise without people buying things? After all its young people who create a lot of demand, take innovation creating risks and often are the ones inventing security exchange derivatives and these new smart phone apps that apparently will run our economy into the stars.

[NED funded]

For a time, fewer people also means fewer people to buy things / sell things to. It also becomes problem in a democratic society. More over how would standard of livings rise without people buying things? After all its young people who create a lot of demand, take innovation creating risks and often are the ones inventing security exchange derivatives and these new smart phone apps that apparently will run our economy into the stars.

People will buy new stuff, kinda like how AC became a normal thing to us, but is relatively new to countries in South America, even on upper middle class families. Innovation and the such are the result of our institutions, as long as we have an educated workforce and institutions that encourages innovation it should not be a problem.

[Deleted]

Anybody who doesn't have US as thge most powerful are idiots. US leads in both scales that matter. Economy and military. They are fucking titans in both and it will be decades before China come close. Everyone wants to be US friends. They got the money and they got the might. China may saber rattle every know and again but they would never do anything to jepardise the money that america has. China wants to be great but it is too frightened to become a super power. China would be crushed by US in ANY armed conflict. It is disgusting how powerful the US are. China is nothing but a regional power. The US is a true super power. Lol. Even Russia could take China right now.

true bro

[Theodarzna]

People will buy new stuff, kinda like how AC became a normal thing to us, but is relatively new to countries in South America, even on upper middle class families. Innovation and the such are the result of our institutions, as long as we have an educated workforce and institutions that encourages innovation it should not be a problem.

People will buy new stuff? What new stuff? When? How much of it? It will be a problem if demand physically goes down, less people is still less demand for increasingly complex new innovations and products.

No matter what you are still describing an unstable system that depends on a physical population out to spend spend spend.

[Dug]

People will buy new stuff? What new stuff? When? How much of it? It will be a problem if demand physically goes down, less people is still less demand for increasingly complex new innovations and products.

No matter what you are still describing an unstable system that depends on a physical population out to spend spend spend.

What I'm confused about is why is immigration being left out of this debate? I imagine people aren't going to stop wanting to come to America any time soon so even if our birth rates our low that would keep the population rising.

[NED funded]

People will buy new stuff? What new stuff? When? How much of it? It will be a problem if demand physically goes down, less people is still less demand for increasingly complex new innovations and products.

No matter what you are still describing an unstable system that depends on a physical population out to spend spend spend.

If people are richer they spend and buy stuff, and at this point you are asking me to predict the next big thing if I knew I would already made it.

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What I'm confused about is why is immigration being left out of this debate? I imagine people aren't going to stop wanting to come to America any time soon so even if our birth rates our low that would keep the population rising.

At this point I'm assuming thats a given.

[Theodarzna]

If people are richer they spend and buy stuff, and at this point you are asking me to predict the next big thing if I knew I would already made it.

If people are richer they will buy the same amount of stuff as now. Bill Gates buys the same amount of toilet paper, as me and or someone in the lowest 10%.

[GreenJesus]

Anyone who believes any figures coming from China are fools. China is a corrupt country and has little regulation or oversight. They don't respect copyright laws, or crack down on child labor. Per capita, their country is dirt poor and buying officials is commonplace and expected since government partially controls production.

And the economy is actually pretty poor. http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/asia/...084316042.html

"If China had been willing to give up that hyper growth, then it might have avoided the potential for a serious crash and a serious debt crisis. But it didn't and it won't," says Stevenson-Yang.

[Theodarzna]

What I'm confused about is why is immigration being left out of this debate? I imagine people aren't going to stop wanting to come to America any time soon so even if our birth rates our low that would keep the population rising.

Immigration is an unstable answer. In the case of Birth rates, the low fertility problem is spreading world wide. Countries that are themselves in negative fertility tend to not export people. 'Tis why Trumps anti-Mexico crusade is fucking dumb, Mexico barely sends people here anymore. Most of Latin America is at or heading to negative birth rates. Even if we did try that strategy we are still in a race of "Who is the last one left with young people."

[Dug]

Immigration is an unstable answer. In the case of Birth rates, the low fertility problem is spreading world wide. Countries that are themselves in negative fertility tend to not export people. 'Tis why Trumps anti-Mexico crusade is fucking dumb, Mexico barely sends people here anymore. Most of Latin America is at or heading to negative birth rates. Even if we did try that strategy we are still in a race of "Who is the last one left with young people."

But do you think in the "distant future" that this "African country" would stay around to build their country into a world super power or not just migrate somewhere else that's already established? What we can see already with economic migrants.

[NED funded]

If people are richer they will buy the same amount of stuff as now. Bill Gates buys the same amount of toilet paper, as me and or someone in the lowest 10%.

But Bill Gates buys other stuff, I dunno typical rich stuff like golden watches ,etc. We like to spend money.

[Theodarzna]

But do you think in the "distant future" that this "African country" would stay around to build their country into a world super power or not just migrate somewhere else that's already established? What we can see already with economic migrants.

Well I assume two things, one is that Africa will remain rich in resources, and two that economic conditions will not stay as they are. America moving forward may or may not hold it's superpower statues. The migrants bring their own host of problems, mainly a doubt about loyalty to the country, hostility from the natives and resentment from natives, ect. Also as the pool of areas shrinks that has positive fertility rate and thus population pressure to send people into migration, the "quality" of the migrants declines in the sense that these will be people from increasingly marginal, and very different societies who may take a generation or more to be brought up to speed to even be productive and likely it will be their children who can help. Plus as the areas exporting people shrinks there will be fewer immigrants in total going about and migrating.

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But Bill Gates buys other stuff, I dunno typical rich stuff like golden watches ,etc. We like to spend money.

How many golden watches would he have to buy to sustain the US economy?

[NED funded]

Well I assume two things, one is that Africa will remain rich in resources, and two that economic conditions will not stay as they are. America moving forward may or may not hold it's superpower statues. The migrants bring their own host of problems, mainly a doubt about loyalty to the country, hostility from the natives and resentment from natives, ect. Also as the pool of areas shrinks that has positive fertility rate and thus population pressure to send people into migration, the "quality" of the migrants declines in the sense that these will be people from increasingly marginal, and very different societies who may take a generation or more to be brought up to speed to even be productive and likely it will be their children who can help. Plus as the areas exporting people shrinks there will be fewer immigrants in total going about and migrating.

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How many golden watches would he have to buy to sustain the US economy?

Golden watches was obviously an example. I mean just take a look around you or even among our poor. Things like tvs, AC, internet that are basic stuff to us is a luxury in developing nations. If you have ever been in a small village in the altiplanic region you'd be forgiven for believing its still the 80s.