Post-American World a New 'Dark Age'? - Niall Ferguson

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/07/08/The_Financial_Crisis_Will_It_Lead_to_Americas_Decline

Historian Niall Ferguson fears a post-American world would bear close resemblance to the Dark Ages that followed the decline of the Roman Empire. He foresees chaos across the Middle East and the rise of China as the next superpower. "A world without a strong America is a dangerous world," he exclaims.

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Niall Ferguson, David Gergen, and Mort Zuckerman discuss how America's global standing will be affected by the continuing financial crisis. This program was recorded in collaboration with the 2010 Aspen Ideas Festival, on July 8, 2010.

Niall Ferguson, MA, D.Phil., is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University. He is a resident faculty member of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies.

He is also a Senior Research Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University, and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

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[TheSkeetergirl]

@Re5Publica Please reread your post and see if it makes any sense to you.

[LovelesOne]

Actually this is no big deal, much of what "history" tells us of the dark ages is myth and trumping of facts. People will get by same as they ever were, peasants back then lived much in the same as peasants live today. The homeless and the poor will have the best shot at adapting and thriving, along with those who know self-sufficiency. The old ruling elite of American will be missed about as much as an anal-polyp. 

[ritchloui]

@shraka Only 200 people were killed during the 600 year Inquisition? It just goes to show that not only is the Roman Church unrepentant but they continue to work tirelessly to hide and minimize the slaughter and intimidation they advocated and were responsible for. Remember their idea of 'indulgences'? The racket whereby the RCC got MORE money in proportion to the viciousness of the crimes its practitioners committed. Where is the witness of the thousands of literate priests who saw it all?

[ritchloui]

@shraka LOL. Only 200 people were killed during the 600 year Inquisition? It just goes to show that not only is the Roman Church unrepentant but they continue to work tirelessly to hide and minimize the slaughter and intimidation they advocated and were responsible for. Remember their idea of 'indulgences'? The racket whereby the RCC got MORE money in proportion to the viciousness of the crimes its practitioners committed. Where is the witness of the thousands of literate priests who saw it all?

[shraka]

@ritchloui Like I said, it was the lowest estimate I could find. fargonbastedge said it was 200 people.

[ritchloui]

@shraka Obviously your absurd figure of 3,000 put to death for the Inquisition (all 600 years of it, the Spanish was merely its apex). But let us just take the Spanish Inquistion - presumably you do not count the obliteration of the South American civilisations in your niggardly figure of 3,000. Estimates, even by eye witnesses reckon on 15 MILLION, not counting the trans-Atlantic slave trade founded by the equally Roman Catholic Portuguese.

[atlasman55]

How exactly is a country with one of the largest and most productive land masses, with one of the largest and most educated populations on the planet, going to 'decline', exactly? Lets say the dollar depreciates to the point at which it is no longer the global reserve currency. Oh no! All of a sudden US industries and US labour become competitive again, and the US once again becomes a net exporting nation. Big disaster.

[shraka]

@fargonbastedge Your ignorance is monumental. The lowest estimate I could find was 3,000 put to death for the Spanish Inquisition. ANOTHER one of your complete fabrications. You haven't made one post without some kind of logical error or an outright lie in it.

Many Atheists in Pakistan? You're unbalanced man - go see a therapist.

[fargonbastedge]

@shraka lol no they haven''t, Islam has always persecuted non-believers of there religion and spiruatic, renegade murders through-out the region that what Muhammad all started when he made up the religion .

btw only 200 people died in the Spanish Inquisition and that's like a month's body troll for jihad. YOU are a joke.

Your not a white guy like your profile shows, you have a mind-set of nomad muslim (my guess Pakistani). And this 2 week back and gay fourth is ending.