The Century was hatched from a backdrop of extensive conflicts and realignment of political, economic and
social loyalties between Cultural entities (Nations)
In 2000, the United States emerged seemingly as the dominant power of geopolitics after the fragmentation
of the Soviet Union into lesser entities only about a decade earlier.
-The US' apparent dominance, cloaked deep fissures in its wholistic structure. Its economy then dwelt mostly
on services after having in the preceding years, transferred most of its solid- state industry and production to other regions
where production cost was cheaper.
-The economic dispensation had created a vast chasm between the wealthy and the deprived thereby fostering
widespread disenchantment and polarisation
-The justice and the political systems were influenced by the wealthy and the individual's rights
were slowly eroded and trampled on.
-A massive proportion of the budget was dedicated to the military. Its defence bill was almost 50% of the
entire globe's expenditure on defence.
-Most significantly its then leaders adopted a belligerent foreign policy by disregarding the
status quo in the quest to serve its ad hoc interests.
In retrospect, all the indicators to the fate of the United States had been conspicuous. The
trend of events in the sole Superpower faithfully mirrored the pattern of an Empire's decline as recognised by macrohistorians.
The clearest index of erosion of an Empire's influence is when the cost of defence exceeds
a threshold level. To consolidate an empire, an entity must possess overwhelming military superiority over
its adversaries and the deployment of such a military force must be minimal in terms of military equipment and human cost.
The Roman empire thrived because of their advanced military capability, necessitating relatively few soldiers
to conquer whole armies.
It is always said in awe that during the height of the British Empire, less
that a thousand British military personnel were able to control the entire Indian sub region and Africa together nearly
a billion people. When any group got cantankerous, the British could send a single ship with a few cannons to quell any
rebellion. The Spanish conquistadors who pillaged, massacred and seized entire regions in South America were numbered
in the hundreds only. Only a handful of Calvary men defeated armies of tens of thousands. During those times only the threat
to deploy troops was enough to let King Ferdinand or Queen Victoria have their ways. Both of these Empires collapsed when
the cost of defense became stratospheric In essence, the threshold level was exceeded. The Spanish needing an entire Armada
to threaten England, and England requiring too many troops tied up for too long with consequently, extensive fiscal
expenditure to fight the tiniest rebellions. The fate of these Empires had been sealed by these circumstances.
In 2003 it required a quarter of a million American troops and a mass of military hardware to illegally invade
Iraq of just 25 million people wielding outdated military hardware. On reflection, it was clear even at that time
that, the US needed to spend increasingly large proportions of its budgetary outlay on the military in order to retain its
dominance. Without an inexhaustible source of funds, the crack was soon to follow.
Chapter Two
-The 2nd half of the 1st Decade
-(2005 -2010)
