Has Economic Power Replaced Military Might? -- Joseph S. Nye, Project SyndicateCAMBRIDGE – At the Cold War’s end, some pundits proclaimed that “geo-economics” had replaced geopolitics. Economic power would become the key to success in world politics, a change that many people thought would usher in a world dominated by Japan and Germany.
Today, some interpret the rise in China’s share of world output as signifying a fundamental shift in the balance of global power, but without considering military power. They argue that a dominant economic power soon becomes a dominant military power, forgetting that the United States was the world’s largest economy for 70 years before it became a military superpower.
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My Comment: During the time of the Roman empire, it was Egypt that was the economic super power, providing grain and resources to all parts of the Roman Empire and beyond. But because of Rome's military reach and influence .... everyone said allegiance to Rome.
In the 21rst century .... China and Asia will probably be the dominant economic power .... but it is America that everyone not only looks at, but more importantly wants to live in .... the Chinese included.