It’s been said that the world is becoming “post-American.” That is, globalization will produce an equalizing quality in the coming decades whereby the U.S. will no longer dominate the global economy, orchestrate geopolitics, or overwhelm cultures with its influence. In his bestselling book, The Post-American World, Fareed Zakaria explains: “This is not . . . about the decline of America, but rather about the rise of everyone else.” In other words, Zakaria and others believe that during the twenty-first century, countries like Brazil, India, China, Russia and Indonesia will rival American influence and alter the historical landscape.

There’s no doubt that globalization is reshaping our world. And new conflicts—the war on terror and our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan—are forging new eras of geopolitics. But what if the forecasters are wrong about a “post-American” future? What if the twenty-first century should more accurately be called “the American century”?

In his book, The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century, George Friedman (no relation to Thomas Friedman) makes just that argument. In his bold predictions for the 21st century, Friedman readily admits: “I have no crystal ball. . . I will, of course, get many details wrong. But the goal is to identify the major tendencies—geopolitical, demographic, cultural, military—in their broadest sense, and to define the major events that might take place.”

In doing so, Friedman asserts that the 21st century “will be the beginning of a new age, and it will see a new global power astride the world. . . We are now in an America-centric age.”

He cites several reasons to believe that America is just beginning its dominance of the world:

1. The American economy is head and shoulders above all other nations. A staggering 26 percent of the world’s GDP takes place in America. The next largest economy is Japan—which is only about 8 percent of the world (one third the size of the U.S. GDP). In fact, the American economy is larger than the next four nations on the list combined: Japan, Germany, China, and the U.K.
2. Despite what many think, the U.S. is currently a significant energy producer. American oil production is greater than Iran, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, and it’s only slightly less than both Russia and Saudi Arabia. American natural gas production is second only to Russia. So, while there are concerns about American dependence on foreign energy, it is actually one of the world’s largest energy producers now. And Friedman predicts that America will become the world's largest energy producer in the future through a space-based system of solar panels.
3. The U.S. is underpopulated by world standards. The average world population density (measured in inhabitants per square kilometer) is 49. Japan’s is 338; Germany’s is 230; America’s is only 31. Even if the numbers are calculated according to land suitable for agriculture (which would negate much of Alaska), America still has five times as much land as Asia, almost twice as much as Europe, and three times as much as the global average. Economies consist of land, labor, and capital, which means that the U.S. still has plenty of growth available compared to any of the other industrialized nations of the world.
4. The U.S. dominates all other nations in military power. Its geography makes it almost invulnerable to invasion and occupation. And unlike virtually every other industrial power in the world, America did not experience devastating war in the 20th century. Certainly, it participated in the World Wars and other conflicts, but the U.S. has not had to recover in the same ways that the many other nations did.
5. Finally, the U.S. dominates the world’s oceans and shipping lanes with its navy. This fact cannot be overstated. The combined naval power of every other nation in the world doesn’t even come close to matching that of the U.S. Navy. In fact, there has never been a period in history where one nation has controlled all of the world’s oceans. And control of the seas doesn’t just lead to military might, but international trade. In 1980, transpacific trade rose to equal transatlantic trade for the first time in history. There is only one nation that borders both oceans, dominates both, and will continue to do so for the next century: America. Navies don’t take months or even years to build; they take many decades. No other nation is remotely close to challenging American supremacy of the seas, and consequently, international trade.

In sum, Friedman argues that cultures often move through three phases: infancy, adolescence, and adulthood. America is just now entering adolescence. And like adolescents, America is a culture with an odd mixture of overconfidence and insecurity. Which means the nation will continue to make stupid choices, go through irrational mood swings, and struggle with its identity as it moves forward. But it also indicates America has not yet reached full maturity. And in light of all the reasons mentioned, there is no indication that it won’t.

Whether you agree with Friedman’s conclusions and predictions, they raise a few questions that thoughtful Christians should ponder:

The identities of American Christians will continue to be torn between that of their faith and their nation. Which will dominate?

As American culture continues to lead and permeate the world, what aspects of it will be based upon or challenged by biblical values?

With power and influence often comes pride and arrogance. Yet pride and arrogance are two traits the Old Testament prophets roundly condemn in both Israel and the other superpowers of the day (Assyria and Babylon)? How will American Christians navigate these dangerous temptations?

When American Christians influence other cultures through missions work, humanitarian work, and basic economic activity, what ideals will they export?

What other questions should we be considering?

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