Note to “Sharing the pie”

Of course, the statistics vary. While this chart or graph shows the decline in America’s share of the world economy between the 1960’s and right now from 36 percent then to 26 percent now, another study from McKinsey and Co. suggests that the decline will go from 50 percent in the late 1940’s to about 15 percent in the coming years. If our measurement goes back all the way to right about the end of World War II, then the drop is actually from 50 percent then to 26 percent now, and according to some projections, it will drop even further to about 15 percent in the coming years. Where will this drop in the American share go to? Most likely China. But the statistics vary. And I would argue that the most concerning statistic of all is the debt to GDP ratio. For instance, when I was assisting the Afghan ambassador to the United States right before the collapse of the Afghan government in 2021, the debt to GDP ratio there was at around 100 percent. Right now in the United States, the debt to GDP ratio is at 123 percent. This statistic is perhaps your prime indicator for the very high risk of default and collapse. But of course, all the statistics put together are cause for concern for both state and society.