Has the U.S. lost its stature in the world?

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Im hearing some commentators on the news say this. What about those from other countries, do you see it this way. What would the world be like if the US was not the largest superpower? Is this just a one time deal, could the US ever completely restore itself? Is China the next superpower (we borrow enough from them)? Here is an excerpt I found in Google Books. "Once a sleeping giant, China today is the world's fastest growing economy--the leading manufacturer of cell phones, laptop computers, and digital cameras--a dramatic turn-around that alarms many Westerners.." [b]When President Hu JINTAO met with PRes. Bush in fall 2005, he sought to reassure the American president that China was not a threat by describing the many difficult domestic problems he was struggling to juggle at home. Although China looks like a powerhouse from the outside, to its leaders it looks fragile, poor, and overwhelmed by internal problems. But China's massive problems, instead of reassuring us, should worry us. It is China's internal fragility, not its growing strength that presents the greatest danger. The weak legitimacy of the Communist Party and its leaders' sense of vulnerability could cause China to behave rashly in a crisis involving Japan or Taiwan, and bring it into a military conflict with the U.S. If economic growth slows and problems multiply, there is a possibility that China's leaders could be tempted to "wag the dog"--mobilize domestic support by creating international crisis. [/b] China: Fragile Superpower By Susan L. Shirk, 2007, http://books.google.com/books?id=lVv9XyI4qwsC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0 --------------------------------- Has superman finally found his match?