Headlines across the web this morning are touting the report by the National Intelligence Council, "Global Trends 2025", which predicts a widespread shift in power from the U.S. to Russia over the next 15 years.

Just so happened that in the next moment I noticed a piece of news from Moscow reporting some funny business in the high-profile trial of three men in the killing of Russian muckracking journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The military court (what's in doing there?) decided on the eve of the trial that proceedings would be barred to the public due to fears by jury members of possible recriminations if the men were convicted. Only it turns out the judge was full of shit; the jury expressly wanted an open court. And remember, prime minister--and once and future president--Vladimir Putin has been strongly rumored to have had a hand in this affair.

The second of these two news items instilled in me a profound doubt about the accuracy of the first. My next thought was to recall how, in the late eighties, Japan was going to emerge predominant with an centralized economy vis-a-vis MITI and the various Zaibatsus.

I think there is a lesson or two to be re-learned here:

1. a country does not get to become, or better, the good ol' USA with pretend democracy, openness and free markets.

2. it is precisely the laissez-faire political free market that is this country's greatest strength. In the end, as we heap deserved ridcule on our wonderful country, we heap ridicule on, and we destroy, those who would hurt her - and we do it more and more at the margins.

I welcome the "rise of the others"; a stronger world and a bigger pie can only be good for America.

But let's not forget who--for all her warts--is the prettiest girl at the dance.