The future belongs to Europe?

In a subscriber-only article, Mary Dejevsky writes,

The American dream is fading - and the future belongs to Europe; The United States has passed the high point of its success and is doomed to decline due to its internal weaknesses.

She singles out

the contradiction implicit in its claim for the universality of its model with the de facto racial and social segregation it practises at home, and the narrowing of its cultural horizons. Falling American life-expectancy, disparities in health and the rise in poverty...[and] a malign aspect to the flag-waving and monolithic patriotism of the media that followed the 11 September attacks.

One of her authorities is Jeremy Rifkin, who

hazards that the European Union could supply an alternative model of development.

Writing back in December 2003, she said,

the fact that Britain, Spain, Italy and Poland have troops in Iraq, whereas other EU states do not, has disguised two other facts: that Europe is united in calling for the UN to oversee Iraq and that, little by little, Washington is being forced to accept its terms.

In another subscriber-only article, dated July 9, 2001:

...the Republicans lost their bare majority in the Senate, thanks to the defection of a New England Republican, James Jeffords, who became an independent. With control of the Senate went control of the legislative agenda and timetable, control of the committees - and the iron discipline that the White House had exerted on Congressional Republicans. From then on, nothing seemed to go right.

Mr Bush's legislative agenda, including his diluted education bill, is now stalled. Even some promised tax cuts may be delayed because of new budgetary concerns; the once-booming stock market is flat, or falling. He also risks alienating public opinion if he carries out his threat to veto a popular bill that allows aggrieved patients to sue health organisations for denial of treatment.

Worse, perhaps, some of his hugely experienced and trusted lieutenants seem, if not out of their depth, then out of date and poorly attuned to current public concerns, whether on the environment, energy policy, military reform or missile defence. The defence and treasury secretaries - millionaire former chief executives both - are testy with Congress and evince scarcely disguised frustration at the constraints on their power.

The strength of opinion on the environment, including among Republicans, has taken the White House by surprise, and forced another retreat: this time on oil -drilling off Florida. "Where have these environmental Republicans sprung from?" one senior official asked in an unguarded moment.

Mr Bush has faced other unwelcome distractions. First, his twin daughters, visibly chafing at the diminution of their privacy, were fined for underage drinking. Then his Vice-President went into hospital for the third time since the election to have a pacemaker fitted for his suspect heart. Every subsequent public appearance by Mr Cheney - who was back at his desk less than two days after his operation - is a reminder of the administration's fragility...

Seesh. Just because you want something to happen, doesn't mean it will. And the US may very well be surpassed by another entity, but I don't think it's Europe. As Wim Kok (via Jeremy Slater) argues,

the gap between Europe and the US has widened and not narrowed in the past five years...

One of the main reasons for this failure to boost growth...is that unanimity is needed for the European Union to go forward on just about any economic project.