US Intelligence Report: World Headed for Multipolar Global Community
By VOA News
21 November 2008
A new U.S. intelligence report predicts that by 2025, China and India could join the United States as top powers in a multipolar global order.
The National Intelligence Council's "Global Trends 2025" report released Thursday, says the U.S. will become less dominant in the next two decades and the U.S. dollar will fall in power, sinking to a so-called "first among equals" in world currencies.
It also predicts a decline of al-Qaida, saying the terrorist network has not achieved broad support in the Islamic world.
The council represents all 16 American intelligence agencies.
The report says the concentration of wealth in the world will continue its shift from West to East. It says continued economic and population growth will put more pressure on supplies of energy, food and water.
In the report, the experts say the pressures of climate change may also contribute to shortages, fueling conflicts over resources.
They also say it is unclear whether China and Russia will continue advances toward democracy and what impact Iran's nuclear program will have on its neighbors.
The National Intelligence Council publishes a report about key global trends every four years, in an attempt to project how the trends might influence world events.
The council, which describes itself as the "center of strategic thinking" within the U.S. government, reports to the director of U.S. National Intelligence. The council says it provides the president and senior policymakers with analyses of foreign policy issues that have been reviewed and coordinated throughout the intelligence community.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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