Information Related to "Who Will Be the Next Superpower?"
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Who
Will Be the Next
Superpower?
The rise and fall of
empires isn't a dry subject only for academics and historians-
especially when the next collapsing empire may be today's superpower, the United
States.
by Melvin Rhodes
Jan.
22 marked exactly one century since the Victorian era ended
with the death of Britain's Queen Victoria at Osborne House. At the time of
her death Great Britain was the world's greatest power. Other countries, notably
Germany and the United States, were catching up economically and militarily,
but Britain was to remain the dominant power for the first four decades of the
20th century.
As
the 19th century passed and the 20th began, nobody would have predicted the
end of the British Empire. Some were already warning of Germany's rise as the
queen's grandson, the kaiser, sat at her bedside in her final hours. Yet in
less than two decades Kaiser William II's beloved Germany would lie in ruins,
and he would be forced to abdicate his throne.
Few would have imagined that the United States, only recently breaking out of
its isolation with its victory over Spain in the war of 1898, would emerge as
the world's foremost power in the new century. Nobody expected Russia to break
with history and tradition and embrace communism. Excited at the prospects of
a progressive new century, few could have foreseen the awful dictatorships that
would arise in the years to come.
A
dramatic century was dawning. How dramatic it would prove to be staggers the
mind.
Another
dramatic century?
The beginning of a new century is an appropriate time to reflect on the world
scene. Which nations could dominate the world in the years ahead? Will America
remain the world's lone superpower, or will another emerge as the economic,
military and political leader?
Bible prophecy offers some insight and strong indications that in this century
the lineup of world powers will shift as dramatically as it did in the century
just passed.
What does prophecy tell us? Specifically, it reveals that, immediately before
the second coming of Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on earth,
the world will be briefly dominated by a union of "ten kings (leaders)
who have received no kingdom as yet" (Revelation 17:12).
This passage also tells us that these leaders will "receive authority for
one hour" (a brief time) with an entity called "the beast." Verse 14 tells us that this coalition of 10 rulers "will make war with the Lamb
(Jesus Christ), and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and
King of kings."
That war will mark humanity's last major organized resistance to the long-prophesied
reign of the promised Messiah. The divine reign of Christ is at the core of
the prophesied good news of the Kingdom of God, which is the central message
of the magazine you are reading. This is the same gospel Jesus proclaimed 2,000
years ago (Mark 1:14).
But before the establishment of this eternal Kingdom another power is prophesied
to arise, a union of 10 kings or leaders of nations or groups of nations that
will be hostile to Jesus at His return.
The
prophesied beast power
The prophesied "beast" is a continuation of the "beasts"
of Daniel 7. Daniel's prophecy takes us to the establishment of the Kingdom
of God at Christ's return (Daniel 7:9-14).
The beasts Daniel describes are aggressive, gentile kingdoms, the superpowers
of their day, dominating much of the ancient world and specifically the Holy
Land.
The Greeks and Romans (verses 6-7) were European peoples who conquered much
of the Mediterranean area and beyond. The Roman Empire was the greatest of these
empires, "dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong" (verse 7). The
final, still-future beast power prophesied in Revelation will show similar characteristics.
With these scriptures in mind, let's look at our world and consider from which
area this prophesied new superpower is likely to emerge.
A century ago there would have been no doubt. The world belonged to Europe.
The major nations of the Continent had extensive colonial possessions, which
made them powerful globe-encircling empires. The British Empire was the largest
and most powerful. The French, Germans, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and Italians
had their own colonial territories.
Two world wars and a changing political climate were to disrupt all that. After
World War I the British and French empires remained powerful, even gaining territory
in the postwar Treaty of Versailles. But the new political climate after World
War II, and the high cost to Britain and France of defeating Hitler, led to
rapid decolonization in the '50s and '60s.
The United States and the Soviet Union emerged from the war as the two great
powers. But only a few decades later the U.S.S.R. no longer exists. Its successor
states, most notably Russia, are too weak economically to pose any serious challenge
to other nations, though Russia's nuclear-equipped military remains a threat.
What about the United States? Putting the scriptures we've looked at alongside
many others, we see that the Bible shows the United States will lose its ascendancy,
to be replaced by the union of 10 kings and the final great beast of Bible prophecy.
Collapse won't come overnight
In identifying the beast power we need to remember that the rise and fall of
nations is a gradual process. The British did not decide in one day to hand
over their position of primacy to the United States.
Britain's decline happened slowly, as did the rise of the United States. Britain's
industrial decline began before the end of the Victorian era. The queen herself
died in the middle of a major armed conflict that was not going well for Britain,
the Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902), an indication of military difficulties
to come.
During World War I Britain had to borrow money from American banks just to keep
fighting. It suffered a major upheaval close to home in the Easter Rising in
Dublin (1916). After the armistice the British found it more difficult to maintain
their military superiority. Their relative decline continued, leading to weakness
Hitler's Germany would exploit in the late 1930s.
Germany had recovered quickly from years of economic stagnation after defeat
in 1918. Hitler came to power in 1933. His reforms soon turned the country around,
and within six years Germany was again the most powerful nation on the Continent,
strong enough to conquer most of Europe in a remarkably short time. The outcome
of World War II was far from a foregone conclusion even after the United States
entered the war.
The final outcome of the second universal conflict was that the United States
and the Soviet Union emerged as Nos. 1 and 2 in the power structure of the world.
Only six years earlier the British and Germans had held those positions.
Change can come just as quickly again.
A little more than 10 years ago we were reminded how quickly dramatic change
can take place when the Berlin Wall came down and the communist governments
of Eastern Europe collapsed one after another, the domino theory of the 1960s
in reverse.
End to American dominance?
The coming decades-and quite possibly this one-are likely to see further dramatic
changes in the world's balance of power to the detriment of the United States
and Britain.
Even before the new year began, the American economy was in trouble. The first
few months of 2001 saw tens of thousands of job layoffs and terminations. Recession
fears grew as the stock market slid, impacting the spending power of many Americans.
The world's second-biggest economy, Japan, has receded for more than a decade.
The third major economic powerhouse, Europe, remains largely unaffected and
is expected to grow over the next few years. The European Union (EU) is poised
to expand its economies with the full implementation of its common currency,
the euro, in January 2002 and with the admission of new members in the years
to come.
Few Americans realize that the European Union already has a greater gross national
product (GNP) than the United States'. However, because the EU is not yet one
united political entity, such comparisons are rarely made.
The EU is by far the world's biggest trading bloc, giving its member nations
considerable clout. America's continuing high trade deficits mean that each
month more American companies are bought out by Europeans. Meanwhile American
overspending leaves U.S. corporations and private citizens with less maneuverability
as their debts mount. This will make it harder for the United States to break
out of recession.
Out of the three main centers of economic power, Europe seems to be the one
best placed to lead the world out of the recession it has fallen into. With
increased economic power will come more political and military power.
This has already been happening. Europe has gradually increased its power and
influence as American power has waned.
What's new in the EU?
Many European leaders are committed to full union-economic, political and military.
Such union would make Europe a superpower not only to rival the United States
but perhaps to surpass it.
Non-Europeans may dismiss the idea, since Europeans have talked about union
for half a century and are still not united. But gradually the EU has grown
stronger, taking great strides in recent years. Just as the United States emerged
in 1898 as a power on the world scene after more than a century in obscurity,
so the EU is slowly emerging as the superpower of the new century.
The euro-the currency that will replace 11 European national currencies with
the appearance of notes and coins from January through June of 2002-is likely
to play a major role. European companies no longer must change currencies and
lose commissions when trading with others outside their own borders, thus boosting
European commerce.
At the same time European companies no longer have to worry about losing money
when selling products in other euro-based countries as the value of national
currencies fluctuates in relation to each other. Goods and services can be priced
in euros and sold throughout the EU. Economies of scale enable companies to
boost production and lower the prices of products as they sell to a bigger market
of 370 million comparatively wealthy people.
Building a better superpower
Along with full economic union comes the development of the European Rapid Reaction
Force, a military entity that, unlike NATO troops, will not fall under U.S.
control. America has expressed concerns about the force, which some envision
as a separate standing European defense.
The idea of a European superpower to rival or even surpass the United States
is not unrealistic when we realize Europe's supremacy until recent times. Throughout
history various leaders have tried to force a united Europe. Because they used
military might, they ended up fighting internal battles as well as wars with
the nations outside the Continent that were threatened by them. Napoleon in
the 19th century and Hitler in the 20th were examples of the drive to revive
a united Europe, a concept that goes back to the days of the Roman Empire.
Aware of the mistakes of the past, today's European leaders are peacefully building
a united Europe; no one man is trying to conquer the Continent for his own ends.
This means the new Europe is coming together more slowly, but it also means
it will be without many of the internal divisions and conflicts that bedeviled
previous attempts at unification.
Many modern European leaders take their inspiration from Emperor Charlemagne,
crowned by Pope Leo III in 800, who had a vision of a united Christian Europe
that would return the Continent to the glory of ancient Rome. European leaders
present an annual Charlemagne prize to the individual who has contributed the
most to the concept of European unity in the past year. In 2000 Bill Clinton
became the third American recipient.
The December summit of EU leaders in Nice, France, marks a more urgent commitment
to unity and to further expansion with the agreed admission of more nations
in the near future. A change in the voting system makes it harder for any single
nation, such as Britain, to veto further progress toward closer union.
Expanding influence
Europeans are looking further afield.
Close economic ties already exist between Germany and Russia. The two countries
are forging an economic deal that could shift the balance of power on the Continent.
The two ministers responsible for the economies of their respective countries
met in December to debate details of a plan to exchange Russian debt for German
equity in Russian companies. This would be a roundabout way for German banks
to retrieve some of the money they have lent to Russia that Moscow has not been
able to repay.
Such a deal would help Russia recuperate and could lead to a closer relationship
between the European Union and Moscow.
European leaders take an increasingly independent role in world affairs, often
at the expense of the English-speaking nations. A recent visit by Zimbabwe's
President Robert Mugabe to Brussels and Paris upset London. The British were
angry because thousands of Zimbabwe's citizens of British descent are being
forced off their land and subjected to violence and intimidation by government
supporters in the southern-African country.
Criticism persists over continuing U.S.-led sanctions and American and British
military flights over (and occasional bombing raids on) Iraq. Another area of
disagreement between Europe and the United States is the Middle East, where
the EU has become the largest single financial contributor to the peace process.
In that crucial area America is viewed as Israel's main supporter while the
EU tends to support Palestinian and Arab interests.
Widening divide
Since World War II Western European leaders have contented themselves to look
to America for leadership of the Western alliance. As the nations of Europe
slowly rebuilt after the 1939-45 conflict, they needed U.S. military protection
from the Soviet Union. With the Soviets gone and Russia's economy in a backward
state, Europeans no longer feel the same need for American protection.
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At the same time, areas of disagreement between Europe and America grow, particularly in trade and international relations.
Additionally, European
perceptions of America have changed. America is increasingly the odd man out
in the alliance. In March the Bush administration angered many European and
Asian leaders when the president made it clear the United States would not implement
the 1997 Kyoto agreement, an international pact aimed at reducing industrial
and auto emissions that treaty supporters believe contribute to global warming.
The United States is also the only nation that practices capital punishment
and allows widespread availability of firearms in the hands of private citizens-concepts
abhorrent to most Europeans. America is also the only one without a government-sponsored
and -funded public health-care system and the heavy taxation that makes it possible.
Because of these and other factors, for many Europeans respect for the United
States has given way to resentment.
Prophecy awaits its fulfillment
The new decade is likely to see the European Union grow even stronger, probably
at the expense of the United States. Only the European nations seem rich and
powerful enough to fulfill Revelation's prophecy of the 10 kings, ultimately
10 core political entities uniting to form a superpower that will dominate the
world in the end time.
Ultimately it is God who is sovereign and in control of world events. He "removes
kings and raises up kings" (Daniel 2:21) and determines when one nation
should lose its preeminence to another, all in His own time and according to
His prophetic plan.
The Bible shows us that another superpower is waiting in the wings. It will
continue in power for "a short time" (Revelation 17:10), soon to be
replaced by the divine government-the Kingdom of God-true Christians have prayed
for ever since Christ told His followers to pray "Your kingdom come"
(Matthew 6:10). GN
© 2001-2022 United Church of God,
an International Association
Related Information:
Sidebar: Britain - Caught in the Middle
Sidebar: European Rapid Reaction Force - Rival to NATO?
Table of Contents that includes "Who Will Be the Next Superpower?"
Other Articles by Melvin Rhodes
Origin of article "Who Will Be the Next Superpower?"
Keywords: united Europe European power world powers superpower beast power
European Union - military: