There seems to be a consensus among paper pundits that this is going to be an Asian century and that Asian economic growth will ultimately make Asia stronger than the US and Europe. Seems to me that they are taking bits from here and there and put together a picture. The US is one country and although Europe consists of many the European Union has made it the second largest economy in the world. The EU is now trying to formulate a common defence and diplomatic policy which, if the member states can agree, will make it enormously strong. Asia, on the other hand, is a geographic collection of totally disparate states which will never form a strong union. There is Australia which sees itself as a white country and supports the US blindly in any misadventure. In any future diagreement between Asia and the US or EU it will surely join the white men's club. The Jihadists will attack any soft target wherever they find it whether in India or in Indonesia diverting attention away from growth and trade towards self defence. Then there is China. A brutal uncivilised people feared and hated by all its neighbours. Like a cancer it is growing exponentially consuming vast quantities of natural resources without caring for the source or natural damage it is causing in the process. It is building its armed forces and is planning to use force to take over natural resources such as oil in the Spratly Islands and water from Tibet. By the end of this century there might just be Asian rubble left.