21世纪伊始，美国是世界上无可匹敌的超级大国。在全球范围内，美国以各种方式影响着每一个人：通过好莱坞、美国科技（微软）、快餐（麦当劳）、汽水（可口可乐）、新闻媒体（CNN）、纸质媒体（《纽约时报》《国际先驱论坛报》）、互联网（谷歌、雅虎）以及金融业（华尔街）。一个多世纪以来，美利坚合众国在政治、经济、外交政策和全球化进程中一直占据主导地位。

The USA began the 21st century as the world’s unrivalled superpower. Globally the USA touched everyone in different ways, through Hollywood, US technology - Microsoft, fast food - MacDonald’s, fizzy drinks - Coca Cola, news media - CNN, print media - the New York Times, International Herald Tribune, internet - Google, Yahoo, and finance - Wall Street. For over a century the United States of America has dominated politics, economics, foreign policy and globalisation.

当乔治·W·布什于2001年就任美国总统时，充斥其政府的新保守主义者谈到，有必要在下个世纪继续彰显美国的实力。在他们的“21世纪计划”中，他们谈及国际承诺、国际法和全球条约，认为这些束缚了美国的实力，而美国作为世界超级大国，并不需要它们。

When George W Bush became president of the US in 2001 the Neoconservatives, who filled his government, spoke of the need to project US power well into the next century. They spoke of international commitments, International law and global treaties in their ‘project for the 21st century,’ hindering US prowess and the US didn’t need them as it was the world superpower.

2010年，美国在世界上的地位已大不相同。美国公众自身也开始质疑美国在世界中的角色。反恐战争及其后续战争造成了一道裂痕：美国仍深陷于两场战争之中，而这两场战争已持续的时间比第二次世界大战还长，却看不出何时会结束的迹象。美国在这些战争中的所作所为，使许多人开始重新审视他们过去所持有的关于美国全球角色的看法。关塔那摩湾、阿布格莱布监狱、特别引渡、酷刑、反恐立法和秘密审判，如今已成为美国的象征，与过去几十年里美国所代表的好莱坞、人权、民主和自由市场形象相去甚远。

In 2010 the US position in the world is very different. America’s role in the world is being questioned by the US public themselves. The war on terror and its subsequent wars have caused a fault line as the US continues to be consumed with two wars which have now lasted longer than WW2 and show little signs of ending anytime soon. US conduct in the wars has led to many questioning their previously held views on America’s global role. Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, extraordinary rendition, torture, anti-terror legislation and secret trials have now become symbols of America, a far cry from Hollywood, Human Rights, Democracy and the Free Market America was known for the last few decades.

在 Khilafah.com，我们持续收到许多关于美国地位的问题：美国是否仍将是世界超级大国？许多人问我们，美国是否正在衰落，是否即将被取代其超级大国的地位。也有许多人问我们，谁可能会取代美国。过去几十年中中国惊人的经济增长、印度的崛起、俄罗斯的复兴、长期以来世界最大出口国德国，以及巴西和土耳其等国家，都被不同的思想家提出，认为它们是可能在不可避免的那一天争夺美国王座的新兴力量。

At Khilafah.com we continue to receive many questions regarding the status of the US, will it remain the world’s superpower? Many have asked us if the US is in decline and is it on the verge of being replaced as the words superpower. Many have also asked us who possibly will replace the US. China’s phenomenal economic growth in the last few decades, the rise of India, Russia’s resurgence, Germany for long the world’s largest exporter and countries such as Brazil and Turkey have all been proposed by various thinkers as possible emerging powers vying for America’s throne when the inevitable happens.

在本书中，我们评估美国的现状，考察它如何跃升为世界超级大国，并审视这些条件是否正在恶化，以及美国是否真的会不再是世界超级大国。我们还将评估美国可能的挑战者及其取代美国成为超级大国的前景，同时分析这些国家在达到这一巅峰过程中所面临的挑战与障碍。

In this book we asses the current status of the US, how it rose to the post of the world’s superpower and assess if such conditions are deteriorating and if indeed the US will cease to be the world’s superpower. We also assess the possible challengers to the US and their prospects at replacing the US as the superpower, we will also assess the challenges and obstacles such nations face in reaching such a zenith.

Adnan Khan 1431年赖哲卜月1日

Adnan Khan 1st Rajab 1431

2010年6月13日

13th June 2010