Brian Gongol
"China is the main potential beneficiary of any American decline"
Issue #1: The United States ought to be concerned about the rise of China's geopolitical influence -- and there's plenty of evidence that it's happening already at the expense of America's influence. One recent example: The US was left out of a Latin American summit just as Brazil is planning to double trade with China over the next five years. But there's another set of concerns beyond the erosion of the Monroe Doctrine. But then, there's also Issue #2: Americans pulled $72 billion out of stock-based mutual funds in October alone. But for every seller, there's a buyer -- and right now, anyone buying stocks is snapping up a share of America's economic infrastructure at fire-sale prices. It should not be forgotten that sovereign-wealth funds hold trillions of dollars, at least some of which sits in cash or cash-like investments, ready to get into whatever markets are ripe for the picking. According to one research firm, sovereign-wealth funds have been shopping away from the US market in 2008, but given that the funds aren't very transparent as a class, it's possible we don't know what they've actually been doing. It's also possible for any investment corporation to change its strategy at any time.
Navel-gazing lampooned
Arbitrator caps claims Kansas can put on damages from water dispute with Nebraska
