Dear Editor,
In his letter to the editor, Mr. Russell is quick to bemoan and demean the current Democratic presidential candidates, yet he appears to be unconnected from the reality of the modern world. His recent letter makes several unfounded assumptions.
His most important invalid assumption is claiming that America remains the most powerful force in the world. It took very little investment and manpower to bring the global community to a halt on Sept. 11.
Also, China and Russia have been successful in challenging American hegemony through energy markets, the European Union has surpassed American gross domestic product, state-run sovereign wealth funds now hold $3 trillion and are bailing out American companies. Despite all these unique reservoirs of power, Mr. Russell still believes America's future lies in "big stick" diplomacy, yet the world, for the first time in modern ages, is nonpolar, meaning no distinct spheres, or poles, of influence dominate the global community.
