The next time a Chinese person questions the dominance of English (it doesn’t happen very often, since most of the Chinese I hang out with speak English fairly to very well), in preparation for pointing out that Chinese is also widely spoken, I think I’ll make the argument that Spanish should be the next “world language.” It’s already spoken in more countries than any other, it has what I think is the most vibrant modern literature, and it’s easier to learn than either English or Chinese. Just saying.

A more common concern is the dominance of the dollar. The dollar is only strong because so many rich people have a vested interest in it, rich people from countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia in particular. And there isn’t an obvious replacement. The Euro has been weakened from within by the self centered, short sighted policies of Spain, Greece, Italy, Ireland, and Portugal, and Japan and China don’t like each other enough to agree upon one of their currencies. The former dictator of Libya (I could never remember how to spell his name) was making noise about an African, gold-backed currency, but his plans went out the door with him.

So inertia is now America’s best friend.