good riddance

12-31-09--The "War on Terror," the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and all the rest, did not deter a Muslim Nigerian studnet from trying to blow up an airliner over Detroit last Saturday. It motivated him to do so. But it also accelrated the rise of Asia and the relative decline of the West. ... Prestige is a quality that cannot be measured or quantified, but a reputation for competence in the use of power is a great asset in international affairs. ... The US spent the past decade cutting its own throat financially .... There are two trends that could slow or even stop this [shift of power to China and India]. ... One is peak oil; the other is global warming."--Gwynne Dyer