We'll Have an International Crisis? - Part 1

Behind closed doors with supporters of Barack Obama, Joe Biden made a statement that caused a deal of those supporters to worry. Asking them for their support, what exactly did Joe Biden say and what type of things could he be speaking about?

Joe Biden said, "Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking."

Biden then continued, "Remember I said it standing here, if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he's gonna have to make some really tough -- I don't know what the decision's gonna be, but I promise you it will occur. As a student of history and having served with seven presidents, I guarantee you it's gonna happen."

As strange as it sounds, the world is looking, watching, and waiting. Largely, it is said that Obama's questionable policies and ideas would diminish the value of the dollar beyond the idea that America would be able to maintain its superpower status. Those countries that are on the heals of that status would most likely be Russia and China.

Recently, at a Russo-Chinese forum, Putan said:

"At the moment the world which is based on the dollar is suffering serious problems ... The situation on the global financial markets remains difficult.

In such conditions, we need to think about improving the payments system for bilateral trade, including the use of the national currencies."

Also in attendance at the forum, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said:

"We need to diversify the global currency system, to support its stability through the use of different currencies."

Vladimir Putin suggests, that instead of trading with the dollar, it trades with the yuan and the rouble. This is certainly an attempt for the two countries to team up and overthrow the superpower status of America. Many would argue that it is absurd to change the currency with which the world markets trade with, considering many countries including China hold the largest portions of their reserves in dollars.

In another exercise of power, Russia and China along with Iran and North Korea have been working on arming their countries. Especially been working on developing their nuclear force by way of new land- and sea-based weapons.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in a speech to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said:

"Currently, the Unites States is the only declared nuclear power that is neither modernizing its nuclear arsenal nor has the capability to produce a new nuclear warhead.

"To be blunt, there is absolutely no way we can maintain a credible deterrent and reduce the number of weapons in our stockpile without resorting to testing our stockpile or pursuing a modernization program.

"There is no way to ignore efforts by rogue states such as North Korea and Iran to develop and deploy nuclear weapons, or Russian or Chinese strategic modernization programs.

"As long as other states have or seek nuclear weapons -- and potentially can threaten us, our allies and our friends, then we must have a deterrent.

"Try as we might, and hope as we will, the power of nuclear weapons and their strategic impact is a genie that cannot be put back in the bottle -- at least for a very long time.

"Let me be clear: The program we propose is not about new capabilities -- suitcase bombs or bunker-busters or tactical nukes. It is about safety, security and reliability. It is about the future credibility of our strategic deterrent.

"We must take steps to transform from an aging Cold War nuclear weapons complex that is too large and too expensive, to a smaller, less costly, but modern enterprise that can meet our nation's nuclear security needs for the future."

With an aging American nuclear force, and a renewing of these rogue states' nuclear force, certainly this would be seen as a viable threat. The American force is almost 20 years old, and with today's growing technology, it certainly paints a picture that the U.S. force is growing obsolete.

It should be of great alarm when our allies and enemies alike are expanding, updating and arming their nuclear forces.

In part 2, we will take a closer look into these countries, and what and how they have advanced their nuclear weapon capabilities.

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