Rise of Asia, Relative Decline of West

So here is another portent of our changing world.  I live in the United States; my own government, specifically the Office of Director of National Intelligence, published a report in late 2012 titled Global Trends 2030. The background and purpose of the report is: 

The National Intelligence Council's (NIC) Global Trends Report engages expertise from outside government on factors of such as globalization, demography and the environment, producing a forward-looking document to aid policymakers in their long term planning on key issues of worldwide importance. ... 

Global Trends 2030 is intended to stimulate thinking about the rapid and vast geopolitical changes characterizing the world today and possible global trajectories over the next 15 years. As with the NIC’s previous Global Trends reports, we do not seek to predict the future—which would be an impossible feat—but instead provide a framework for thinking about possible futures and their implications.

A few thoughts.  First, it is ironic that I did not see mention of this first in US-based media outlets, but rather on the BBC.  (After reading the BBC article, I did find articles on NPR and Time).  Why does the American media not cover such reports more thoroughly?  Do we as Americans simply not think in such "long term" perspectives?

Next, while the report, and its methods and conclusions can be questioned (for instance, see the Time article), I have to wonder how world influence - economic and otherwise - will shift in the future.  It seems inevitable, based upon the rise and fall of cultures and nations we see throughout history, that America cannot and will not stay the "on top" forever.

Interesting things to ponder.

Keeping our children safe

On the recent, auspicious 40th anniversary of the legalization of abortion in the United States, I was struck by something our President stated.  Speaking in context of the grizzly Sandy Hook Elementary shootings, he remarked:

This is our first task as a society: Keeping our children safe. This is how we will be judged. And their voices should compel us to change. (http://m.cbsnews.com/fullstory.rbml?catid=57564298)

Why do I draw this connection?  I agree with our President: one primary task of our society, even of any society, is to keep our children safe.  However, it is disturbing how we pick-and-choose who qualifies as "children" we should be keeping safe.  Why are children outside the womb people whom we keep safe, while children inside the womb are at risk of death, often with little-to-no protection from our society?  Why are they denied the basic human right of life?  This picking-and-choosing of who qualifies for human rights, and who does not, is an ethical evil.

Applying his comments to this different context, our President is frighteningly correct:  this is how we will be judged, and these voices should compel us to change.