Educational Media Reviews Online

This film presents a formal panel discussion and debate over the proposal that the U.S. is no longer the most dominant power in the world. With strict time restrictions, three scholars present their cases in favor of the proposal, while three oppose it. While the debaters principally place the recent economic crisis in the spotlight, each side cites examples of social and political trends as evidence. Proponents argue that United States dollar is no longer a center for investment. Other countries are now receiving international investment dollars. Any influence of the U.S. is underwritten by foreign investment. Globalization is in fact weakening America, as the nation continues to transform into a nation of consumers, not producers. More importantly, globalization is bringing about a decentralization of power. Proponents defend selected public policies of China and India, and capitalist emergences therein. Opponents of the proposal acknowledge the weaknesses and faults of the U.S., but systematically review the other “contenders” and their larger weaknesses and vulnerabilities. American consumerism will be at the heart of any global economic recovery. Opponents cite former contenders, such as Japan, whose growth in the 1980s and early 1990s was halted by economic stagnation. Opponents of the proposal describe how it is that the U.S. can resist a number of economic threats and/or recover quickly from similar disasters. The moderator does a fine job of asking follow-up questions, asking for specific speakers’ responses to other speakers. A vote from the audience is taken at the conclusion, and a winner of the debate is declared.

This debate is quite informative, and manages to appropriately find itself between a fount of vagaries without substance, and an onslaught of data and statistics. The scholars do an excellent job of keeping their evidence on task. While the production and editing quality is quite low, with focus problems and synching gaffs, this may be ascribed to the “live” feel of the production. The content of the debate is solid, and would prove as an excellent launching point for a similar debate in a classroom.