When I chose to title this work Prospects for the American Age I sought to not only provide my own analysis-based conclusions on this vital topic, but also to develop and convey a deep and insightful understanding of the new world order in a way that illustrates the major landmarks of this topic for an Arab audience—in an age when an appreciation of the interaction between international realities and the factors that govern and influence them is still lacking in certain Arab political circles. These actors still operate according to rules and considerations that are no longer effective given the rise of new, highly influential variables affecting world affairs.

Superpower rivalry is no longer an elitist topic, of interest only to a handful of countries, and the concerns of states are no longer separate from those of individuals. In the new world order, interests have overlapped and differences between nations and groups have faded away. At the same time, traditional geographical boundaries are becoming increasingly irrelevant, and concepts have evolved in accordance with the value system that governs this new order, contemporary international rivalries and conflicts, and the prevailing conditions in which these conflicts occur.

The data and statistics in this book testify to the huge gulf that separates the United States of America from the remaining major powers – such as the EU, China, Russia, Brazil, India and others – which aspire to compete in the coming decades and centuries.