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Good article. I agree with many of the conclusions - should Pax Americana fail, the world will be very different. Probably poorer. Probably a lot more dangerous, and far more brutal.

That said, we as a people are striving against the stability of the existing culture and patterns of our own society. While there is little point in getting into specifics, the general notion is that there is something wrong with our society and something or other will fix it. But fixing it, no matter what that entails, is change. I note that current legislation is so very complex that no one reads it before enactment, no one understands it before or after, and certainly no one has full cognizance of the long-term implications.

Social Security taxes were first collected in 1937. The system was based on longevity assumptions - and also on the assumption of a growing workforce. Seventy years later, we see that those assumptions were flawed and we have an intractable problem.

What are the long term implications policies pursued over the past couple decades? No one knows. And we're so busy fighting fires that we do little more than apply short term repairs to the structure.

So...even though the author of the piece makes some great points...even though I agree with his ideas and conclusions...even though we should work to make sure that America A survives and prospers...I would not wager that the "A" option will succeed.