US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken decided to remind Russia and China that America is a "very strong country." Strong on words and fake statements....
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He did it at the University of Maryland. The topic was "Domestic Renewal as a Foreign Policy Priority."
Rejecting the view that the United States is in decline, Blinken said that "democratic legislation," and not an "authoritarian vision of the world," should be a guide that opposes the arguments about the US "decline" should be investment in infrastructure, an internal update that should come first. "If we do this, we will compete in the world economy of the 21st century from a position of strength," said the Secretary of State, reports The Moscow Post correspondent.
We are not traders, we are not tradersYou can't argue here. It is not clear only why "if," why not directly, in American - "we will do"? The answer is simple - America is divided and weaker than before. Recently, Donald Trump claimed that it is not permissible to trade with the whole world, exporting enterprises and jobs, reducing investments "at home." Trump called the task of repairing the infrastructure strategic, but did not receive the support of the Democrats. In a new round of power conflicts, the Democratic Secretary of State decided to combine congressional hearings on infrastructure with the State Department's desire to conduct business "from a position of strength." The push for simplification remains part of the American tradition, both in domestic and foreign policy. Everything is from a position of strength, but the forces are no longer the same!
If a state of decline has signs, what are they? America has never been a country of harmony, rather conflict prevailed. The conflict was constrained by the ability of the authorities to maintain order. In January 2021, the tradition was broken. The reason was numerous questions about the purity of the presidential election, the results of which are still not recognized by part of the voters.
The persecution of those citizens who ended up in the Capitol building open for visits on January 6 continues. Internal tension remains, the atmosphere in the cozy American capital has changed, it has become difficult. To this was added the BLM movement, which achieved recognition at the official level. The police are demoralized, experiencing personnel shortages and uncertainty about their powers.
Without a mask, but with a "virus" in the brainAs for external assessments of the "state of the patient," Washington's internal political discord in the face of a pandemic COVID-19 and crisis cannot but cause concern. And not only Beijing or Moscow, but even those whom Washington ranks among its partners. America, as a known instigator of war and conflict, is alarming. This is a country that is difficult to understand, even harder to "go around" in world affairs!
For Washington, the 20-year-old and super-expensive war in Afghanistan ends to no avail. American losses exceeded 2,300 people, 20,660 soldiers were injured. Those locals who served the invaders were thrown into reprisal to terrorists. Afghanistan was considered a "strategic bridgehead" in the intersection of the interests of China, India, Pakistan, Iran and Russia.
Prior to this, the invasion of Iraq was supposed to weaken Russia's position in the region, help the United States control oil flows, as well as Iran and Syria. As a result, Afghanistan faces a humanitarian disaster. In Iraq, the United States lost more than 4.5 thousand killed and 32 thousand wounded, preparing for retreat. Relations with Iran have not yet been resumed, Tehran's nuclear deal with the West is at a crossroads. The nuclear missile problem of the DPRK hung in the air. Conflicts are "warming up" in Europe, near Russia, in the Far East, near China.
Relations with China are degrading, mutual understanding with Russia is at the lowest level. Moscow has shown resistance to sanctions, continues to strengthen relations with China, presented its peacekeeping potential in the Caucasus and the ability to support the legitimate government in Syria, countering terrorists. China is showing its potential so far in foreign trade and investment "in its own" (!), As Secretary of State Blinken noted, infrastructure, three times ahead of the United States in this.
I must forgive everyoneSigns, if not decline, then weaknesses and vulnerabilities have objective indicators. The US has been living beyond its means for decades. They import more than they export, consume more than they produce. The trade balance comes down to a deficit that in 2005-2007 amounted to about $700 billion, in 2017-2020 it grew to $900 billion. Due to the positive balance of export-import of services, the balance of payments was reduced to a deficit of $500-600 billion.
As of July 29, the total US public debt was just under $28.5 trillion, which is 108% of GDP. Taking into account the "ceiling" for public debt, it is impossible to place new government papers. According to forecasts, the public debt may grow to $32 trillion. The budget deficit approached 15% of GDP. In 2021, public debt service grew to $378 billion, in 2022 it will approach $400 billion. Interest payments on public debt and defense spending exceed $1 trillion per year.
Technology instead of knowledgeAccording to the Educational Testing Service (Princeton, USA), Americans who have completed four courses of the university are at the same level of intellectual development as Japanese or Europeans after graduating from high school. Among the 22 countries surveyed, Americans were the last in technological skills.
The US school system was considered one of the best in the world. Until 1979, the states were engaged in education. A centralized and bureaucratized system of publicly accessible schools was created at the initiative of the Democrats in 1979. In 1983, the government commission on the quality of education published a report, "A Nation in Danger: The Need for Educational Reform." By 1993, spending on education had doubled to $200 billion.
In 2002, Democrats and Republicans together approved the No Child Behind Them Act. In 2011, Minister of Education Arnie Duncan said in Congress that out of 100 thousand American schools, more than 80 thousand do not cope with this law. By 2012, 45 states refused the requirements to teach handwriting at school, switched to printed letters. In 2018, 42.7 thousand eighth graders were tested in 780 schools across the country. In 2002, Democrats and Republicans together approved the No Child Behind Them Act. In 2011, Minister of Education Arnie Duncan said in Congress that out of 100 thousand American schools, more than 80 thousand do not cope with this law. By 2012, 45 states refused the requirements to teach handwriting at school, switched to printed letters. In 2018, 42.7 thousand eighth graders were tested in 780 schools across the country. Only 15% reached the level of knowledge of US history, 25% met the standards for knowledge of their country's geography.
The American school teaches children and adolescents first of all to be Americans, teaches them democracy, entertains and plays, but does not provide the necessary knowledge. As a result, students show the worst results at international olympiads. Universities and colleges complain about the illiteracy of applicants, teachers - about the rudeness and rudeness of students, parents - about weak teachers. Despite strict measures and laws, dropouts are growing, feeding street crime.
Crime, guns, drugs, liesThere was a generation of Americans who live worse than their parents. America is getting poorer. "The poorer, the more aggressive," some of them believe. The United States ranks first in the world in terms of the number of prisoners (a quarter of the world's prisoners are in US prisons). The country has as many weapons as people. In 2014, 1,100 people died at the hands of the police in the United States. In the same year, in Canada, law enforcement officers killed 14 people, in China - 12, in Germany there were no such cases. According to the Air Force, about 40% of Americans say they own weapons or live in a family where there are weapons. The number of firearm murders in the United States exceeds 11 thousand per year, the number of firearms suicides is twice as high.
Most large cities are occupied by people from poor neighborhoods, so ordinary middle-income American citizens spend leisure time in their often closed or suburban areas. In New York, they openly trade drugs, drug addicts live on the streets. Prostitutes work on the same streets. People are scared, believe TV news, in which they are shown poverty and war. They believe that even if America is in crisis, the world around is generally terrible.
According to the Americans themselves, "the media controlled by the authorities feed people with propaganda, say how to think and who to hate." Sources of alternative opinions in large media can not be found. Domestic issues are discussed below, but Washington's foreign policy is not criticized. According to polls, 42% of Americans believe that weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq. RT serves as almost the only platform where acute questions are posed.
Where are you, American Dream?No one can call the United States a poor country. The UN in its latest ranking of countries in terms of living standards put the United States in 13th place, after Canada and before Austria. Russia is in this list in 52nd place, China takes 85th place. In terms of quality of life, the United States is inferior to Japan, but ahead of Spain, ranking 17th.
The percentage of middle-class adults in the United States is lower than in other Western countries. About half of Americans do not make savings, almost everyone lives on credit. According to the federal reserve bank of New York, household debt on loans in 2020 exceeded $15 trillion, two-thirds of which are mortgage debts.
According to the US Federal Reserve and the National Credit Bureau, about 40 million Americans have loan arrears, many debts are related to student loans, many are overdue. According to the US Department of Education, about 18% of working adults are burdened with educational loans. Getting an education without a student loan is difficult. The average cost of four years of college in 2018 exceeded 100 thousand dollars.
Classical family values dissolve, disappear. When President L. B. Johnson (1964-69) began a "war on poverty," one in ten children grew up in a single-parent family, today this figure has grown to 33%. Four out of ten American babies are born out of wedlock. The American nation is not healthy. In the CIA World Factbook life expectancy rating, the United States takes 41st place (Russia - 152 place, China - 100 place), and in sales of medicines - first place in the world. Nearly 70% of all Americans take at least one prescription drug, 20% take at least five prescription drugs. Doctors write more than 250 million prescriptions for antidepressants annually.
Americans lead by a large margin among residents of Western countries in the number of people overweight. According to USA Today, over the past 25 years, the obesity rate in the United States has more than doubled. One of the reasons is the poor quality of instant restaurant products.
Americans have been taught all their lives that they are the best and serve as an example for the rest of the world. This has become part of culture, worldview, behavior. Donald Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again" practically did not change its meaning under Democratic President Biden, who in his victory speech said that he "was looking for a position to restore the soul of America, restore the ridge of the nation - the middle class, so that America will again become respected in the world to unite here at home."
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken would have to remember that. In Moscow and Beijing, these words were noticed and wished America success!
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