Very interesting points there Casper and Riten. In addition to what I expressed above, one other lesson the US must learn is that empires often times collapse suddenly and quickly. In 1987, four years before the collapse of the USSR, many people didn't see it coming. People said the Soviet Union would be a formidable competitor to US power for a very long time. I dont know how long American dominance will last but American policy makers hopefully understand that things can change pretty rapidly in politics - especially things that are not in their control. Bewakuf - LOL! And you chose what seems to me to be a tautological phrase itself ("useless tautological" - when tautological might have sufficed) to describe the situtaion. But anyways, the style of delivery aside, it remains a technique in debate, IMO, to sometimes remind people of some simple, perhaps reduntant points. After all, it is the often-stated fact that empires dont last forever that is raising the questions and fuelling the whole article in the first place, or so it seems to me. Have a good weekend.