This, from Ivan Krastev, in the Washington Post:
Obama himself is largely viewed in Russia as the American Mikhail Gorbachev, but Russians are less impressed than other Europeans have been with Obama’s brilliance and rock-star popularity. They remember the Gorbi-mania that conquered the globe at the moment the Soviet Union was about to crumble. Russians are tempted to view Obama’s global reformism and his progressive agenda as an expression of American weakness and not as an expression of America’s regained strength and legitimacy.
They are correct, and some of them (as Krastev’s article also says) also believe that the U.S. is on the verge of disintegration.
If they’re right about that, it will be a lot uglier separation than the Soviet Union’s.
Positive Infinity 
Don, to re-use some remarks I just left on Hunter Baker’s notes on Chinese vs. American “capitalism” (The PRC owns businesses as does the US, but the Chinese State-owned firms make money!) A lot of broad statements I didn’t have the time to footnote, but I’d like your take on the picture.
1. The Chinese Church may be the fastest growing in the world, and the US Church the fastest-dying.
2, I saw then, and am watching today, that the 1989 “fall” of Soviet Communism happened at a time when the West was sufficiently “socialised” to be receptive to a radical Marxist Leninism (having been fed increasing levels of the “moderate” version for nearly a hundred years). Sure enough, we now have a radical Marxist world power in the EU, a radical Marxist government in teh US, and a radical Marxist President set to sign on to a “global governance” treaty in Copenhagen.
3.Following national trends, the “Free World” (relatively speaking, at least) in fifty years’ time may well be the former “Axis of Evil” in the East.
4. Ironically, as the atheistic “religion” that wrecked Russia under the Leninists is in a decline there, the Orthodox Faith is gaining ground not only with new Orthodox (Russian, Greek, Antiochian…) churches springing up, but orthodoxly Christian theologians of all stripes are re-assessing Eastern theology and finding a unity there which they / we had been missing in the West.
While it’s hard to spot a “birthplace” for modern Communism, the humanistic, populistic, and anti-monarchic (if not anarchic) aspects of it spread mightily through Europe following the English Crown’s downfall in America. (Remember Marx only claimed to be chronicling a movement already under way.)
So- Two questions:
How should we, as Christians, deal with / in this scenario?
Can we see a movement toward the “End Game” in this picture?
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First: I can assure you that the Chinese state businesses can be excellent business organisations, as I found out first hand many years ago:
http://www.vulcanhammer.info/china/
To answer your questions:
1) We as Christians need to do what we can to support the propagation of the Gospel where it is moving forward, and not worry about “Christendom” or “bringing America back to God.” Neither of these has worked.
2) Yes, we can. But there’s a lot of work to do between now and then.
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