ISO, On militarism again... It is precisely because the state armies are increasingly required to fight unconventional forces -- religious or political militants, rather than armies of other states -- that I believe militarism will have less relevance in global, state-to-state relations. Wars between states are far less likely to happen now than before, and will continue do so into the future. And in the face of growing military conflicts with unconventional armies (mostly within one nation's borders, as opposed to wars between states) skills in social, political and economic issues, I think, are becoming more valuable in resolving conflicts than military might. Hence, the diminishing relevance of militarism. On the other hand, economic/trade relations and the competition based on economic advantages are gaining (rapidly, may I add!) more importance in relations between the states. Powerful country of the future will not necessarily have to have a strong military (though it may still play a small role), but rather must have an enormously influential economy with large economic ties throughout the world. Therefore, in this regard, I still think China emerging as a superpower is a not a question of IF, but of WHEN. And at the pace China's economy is not only growing within, but also without (with increasing economic ties with other nations), I feel that we will see the rise of China to the top of the heirarchy within our life time. [Aba, mora kaal le bholi nai khuttrukkai pardyo bhane chai thaa chhaina hai! ;)] In a nutshell: 1. Military might is rapidly being replaced by economic ties as a major tool of relations between states, therefore a strong military may not necessary indicate a nation's capacity to act as a superpower in the future. 2. Given US' decline, albeit slow, and China's rapid growth in economy (again, both within AND without), and others (EU, Japan , India, Australia) far behind the competition, it seems highly likely to me that China will take over US as the most influential (or call it being a superpower) country in the world. I have much more to say about Russia, Iran, Iraq and Euro-US relations, but I think I will continue these discussions on the next thread, for too much information in a single thread seemed to confuse both of us.