I'm not saying it's headed for doom, I'm saying that it's stretching itself rather thinly. And although it won't implode, its influence is likely to recede as times change, the same as the British 'Empire'.

I don't see America as an Evil Empire, but I do think that, like the old British Empire, a lot of its prosperity is founded on colonial interests. This is not manipulative on the part of the US, merely a natural reaction to opportunity. I would actually blame corrupt or inept local governments for this more than I would America - these governments are doing good short-term business but are representing their own people poorly. As the people of these nations begin to chafe under such regimes and start movements for reform they will eventually keep their natural resources for their own consumption. This can be seen in South America most prominently. And although 99% of Americans would never have exploited these nations themselves, they will suffer financially as a result of the shrinking fortunes of those 1% that did. This will also reduce America's ability to wage wars far away from US soil, which will lead to a receding influence on third world affairs, further accelerating the effect.

__________________