>There are only 3 blue water navies in the world. These are navies that operate and project their power effectivetly beyond their nation shores. France, the UK and the USA. I would have thought that Russia was on that list. In the next few decades Japan, Germany maybe China someday will join this club.
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>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_water_navy

Don't get me started about China. I respect the way they have emerged from Communist shackles and become an economic force. Most economists I have read expect China to displace the U.S. as the world's leading economy sometime in the next few decades, perhaps as soon as 20 years from now. In other senses, though, they still have a long way to go. Rural China is not readily distinguishable from medieval times. Electricity, indoor toiletry, physical separation of humans and animals -- forget it. Even the urbanized China is no bastion of human rights, to say the least. Over 10,000 Chinese are executed every year, more than in every other country combined. There was an article in the NY Times the other day which focused on a young Chinese man who had irritated the government. He wrote and distributed a critical news article. He was given a sham trial on trumped-up charges of treason, no media or family allowed. Several weeks later his father was notified that he had been convicted, executed, and cremated. Justice, Chinese style.

I have said this before -- those who despise the media and suspect it of bias, correctly in some cases, should spend some time in societies where the concept of a free press doesn't even exist. There is a world of difference. Tolerance of a free press, which was a novel idea at the time, was part of the brilliance of our founding fathers.