[moe.ron]

I don't know if the American civilization will collapse. However, the American hegemony has been declining since the Vietnam war. Sure we got the big guns and other stuff, but while we are concentrating on the "war on terrorism," another potential hegemon has been rising all so quickly and sooner or later it will be bigger and more powerfull then us in term of economic and military power. And I agree with Rudey, it will be China. Consider this, East Asia are now in the mist of integrating their economy. China and ASEAN has agree to establish a free trade zone in ten years. Japan and S. Korea are likely to join this free trade and from what I've herd form Australia, they are keen to join. However, Australia entrance has been blocked by Malaysia because of tit for tat squabble between John Howard and Dr. Mahatir. Mahatir is scheduled to "resign" after the next OIC meeting in, I believe, 2003. So who knows, Australia and New Zealand might be joining the EAEG and thus we will be an economic power that has the potential to be the biggest, richest, most powerfull bloc the world has ever seen. I would even argue it would be even bigger then the proposed AFTA. Why, consider this, it's internal market will be more then a billion people. And there are also signs that India are keen to join. This bloc will have almost half of the worlds population. Scary ain't it?