Politics & Current Affairs — December 15, 2010

Why We Need a Strong America

The world system is being challenged by two new forces: a rising superpower, called China, and a rising collection of superempowered individuals, as represented by the WikiLeakers.

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A China that can choke off conversations far beyond its borders, and superempowered individuals who can expose conversations far beyond their borders — or create posses of “cyber-hacktivists” who can melt down the computers of people they don’t like — are now a reality. …A stable world requires that we learn how to get the best from both and limit the worst; it will require smart legal and technological responses. For that job, there is no alternative to a strong America. …The alternative today to a world ordered by American power is not some cuddly multipolar system — half-Sweden and half-heaven. It is half-China and half-superempowered individuals.

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