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Washington: A new assessment by US intelligence agencies predicts that America will no longer be a superpower in a unipolar world as surging powers such as China, India and Brazil, as well as independent entities including tribes and criminal networks, gain international clout and economic strength.
The report, meant to serve as a guidepost for President-elect Barack Obama's administration, offers a vision of a future in which the US is but "one of a number" of important players in the world.
Describing the findings, Tom Fingar, deputy director of National Intelligence for analysis, said there would be a "diminished gap between the United States and everybody else ... The unipolar moment is over."
The report, titled Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World, represents the US intelligence community's most comprehensive examination to date of long-term security issues. It sees a possible increase in terrorist violence even as support for extremism and Al Qaida starts to wane.
Multipolar system
Its central finding is that the US standing as an unrivaled superpower will probably diminish as a "global multipolar system" emerges.
China stands to have more effect on the world over the next 20 years than any other country, the report says, and India will strive to represent one of the world's economic poles. How the world adjusts to their new roles will be up to the two countries.
Japan could be caught between US and Chinese influence, and Russia could grow or stall, depending on the economic decisions it makes, the report says. Brazil is poised to gain in influence and wealth.
The spread of influence could lead to larger roles for countries such as Iran, Indonesia and Turkey, the report adds.
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