Global Trends

(Foreign Policy Morning Brief) U.S. power and influence is waning, according to a new report

by the U.S. intelligence community. The good news? So is al Qaeda’s.
But “the unipolar moment is over,” declared Tom Fingar, chairman of the National Intelligence Council (NIC), in announcing the report.
The NIC expects United States will remain the world’s foremost economic and military superpower. But its report, “Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World,” argues that the rise of powers like China and India means that the United States will be just one of many players in a “global multipolar system.” It concludes, “The US will remain the single most important actor but will be less dominant.”
Now, writes columnist Philip Stephens of the findings, “the world confronts a choice between chaos and order,” adding, “[President-elect Barack] Obama would do well to read it closely.”
US Global Trends report: Key points
(BBC) Global Trends 2025, a new report written by the US National Intelligence Council (NIC) ahead of President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, envisages a future world marked by diminished US power, dwindling resources, and more people.
The NIC, an independent government body, emphasises that its report is not about “crystal-ball gazing” but offers a range of potential futures, including the following key trends.