In a matter of two months, Josef Joffe’s book ‘The Myth of America’s Decline’ has a become its own myth as China surpasses the US as the world’s 
largest trading nation.
China became the world’s largest trading nation in 2013, overtaking the US in what Beijing described as “a landmark milestone” for the country. China’s annual trade in goods passed the $4tn (£2.4tn) mark for the first time last year according to official data, after exports from the world’s second largest economy rose 7.9% to $2.21tn and imports rose 7.3% to $1.95tn.
As a result total trade rose 7.6% over the year to $4.16tn. The US is yet to publish its 2013 trade figures, but with trade totalling $3.5tn in the first 11 months of the year, it is unlikely to beat China.
The shift in the trading pecking order reflected China’s rising global dominance, despite a slowdown in economic growth last year.
There are 92 million Americans without a job who don’t need to be convinced that Obama’s economy is a disaster. And 15 million Americans who have lost their health insurance policies don’t need to be told that the nation’s health security is a disaster. Worse than it was before Obamacare. And our allies around the world already know that we are an unreliable ally, too eager to subjugate our own interests, and theirs, for some naive world view that if we will be nice to our enemies that they will be nice in return. Iran and al-Qaida just love President Obama. And they and the rest of the world just laughs at him.
Mr. Joffe’s book has all the ingredients of being right, except for the assumption that America has a President and congress intent on keeping America strong. Starting with his apology tour, our president acts like he is embarrassed by our number one ranking in military and economic strength, and sees projecting that strength for the benefit of ourselves and our allies as being an obnoxious bully. He has set out to “right those wrongs” and is succeeding, to our detriment and that of future generations of Americans.