America will remain the worlds dominant superpower

Before we begin, my opponent points out that he “would like to kindly ask that Con makes sure all his facts are correct next time”. I agree to this. In return, I would like to kindly ask Pro to make sure he reads his sources. The source he cited for China’s military involvement in wars within the last 20 years was a Wikipedia page which does not list any wars which China has fought in within the last 20 years. It does, however, list attacks on Chinese civilians by the “East Turkistan Islamic Movement”, an extremist organisation condemned as a terrorist organisation by the UN [1], as a war. As such, it is perhaps understandable how Pro’s confusion could have arisen. The only other possible source for Pro’s confusion – at least, which I can think of – was the Wikipedia page’s listing of China’s peacekeeping force in Mali as a war. But what are they doing there? They’re building a campsite. Complete with 190 residential rooms, a “football range” (my source’s words, not mine), and 3,000 metres of road. [2] Camping, football and building roads – when will the carnage end? However, I am sure that this incident has embarrassed Pro, and will thus leave it alone for now. Rebuttal One: China’s Economy WILL Overtake the U.S. Pro claims that I have used humour to mask the content of my arguments. If that is so, then let me make myself clear now. The Economy of China [3] Will grow to be larger [4] Than that of the U.S. [5] Within the next sixteen years. [6] I was very surprised by Pro’s claim that China will not surpass the U.S. economy by 2030. I was even more surprised by his mathematics. To be honest, the numbers didn’t sound right. For a start, if China really did only have a GDP of 9 billion dollars, then Bill Gates would be worth 8.53 Chinas. It’s actually almost 1000 times that figure – 8 TRILLION dollars. But, hey, that’s an easy mistake to make – to say billion when you mean trillion. However, the numbers still didn’t feel right. So I pulled out a calculator to check the numbers. 16 [the GDP of the U.S. in trillions of dollars] * (1.03 [the 3% growth rate] ^ 16 [the number of years of growth]) = 25.675 Oh. So, not quite the 30 trillion Pro was promising. What about China’s side of the equation? 8 [the GDP of China in trillions of dollars] * (1.08 [the meagre 8% growth rate Pro claims that China will achieve, despite the fact that 25 out of the last 30 years saw greater growth than this] ^ 16 [the number of years of growth]) = 27.408 Huh. Well, China’s 27.408 trillion is bigger than America’s 25.7 trillion after all. Of course, these figures are all calculated from nominal GDP and not PPP GDP and fail to account for exchange rates and price differences between the two nations. Fortunately, you don’t have to take just my word for it. These institutions agree with me. The CEBR says 2028. [4] The OECD says as early as 2016. [5] The Peterson Institute says it has already happened back in 2010. [6] Rebuttal two: 8,000,000 Dead Disagree with Pro My opponent also mentioned British imperialism in India as an example of how nations with radically different beliefs and ideals can still be allies. In fact, he goes as far as to say that “the people of India were some of the kindest and most beneficial Allies to England for many a year after we first set foot there”. I agree. IF THEY WEREN’T, WE SHOT THEM. I would like to kindly ask Pro this question; Are you familiar with the method of execution of “Blowing from the gun”, as used to great effect in India? While I await my opponents reply, I shall quickly sketch out for other readers what this involves. Prisoners were lead to loaded cannons. They were tied to the muzzle of the cannon so that their backs were pressed tightly against the lip. These cannons were then fired, reducing their victims to bloody rain and giblets. This was a favourite of the British army in India. And then there was the small matter of the Great Famine of 1876-1878 which ravaged India under British rule. At this time, even though India could produce more than enough grain to support itself, the British governors of India insisted that huge quantities of it be exported back to England. The net result? Famine. And what did the British government do? They made sure to hoard the grain for themselves. Five million Indians died. Well, hey, none of us are perfect. I mean, it’s an easy mistake for an Empire to make – letting five million starve. So it won’t happen again, right? WRONG. Fast forward to 1942. The Chief Minister of Bengal warns the British government that famine is imminent. Do they begin a relief program? Do they give the Chief Minister the tools he needs to fight the famine? No. They fire him. A year later, famine strikes. Again, the British army hordes as much grain as they can. The British government, frankly, just doesn’t care about the starving Indians. Up to four and a half million Indians died. So, in conclusion? There will be conflict between the U.S. and their “allies” – not necessarily military conflict, but almost certainly ideological and economic conflict. China will become the world’s greatest economy within the next sixteen years. America will no longer be the world’s dominant superpower in twenty six. I now pass the baton on to my opponent. The best of luck to him. Sources: http://www.un.org... [1] http://eng.mod.gov.cn... [2] http://www.ft.com... [3] http://www.cebr.com... [4] http://thediplomat.com... [5] http://blogs.piie.com... [6] http://www.britishempire.co.uk... [for further reading about British involvement in India]