"You see it in the main tent as a source of problems and worry"
Perhaps so. This rolls back to your comment about "midgets", though. You've got "big nation" problems. You've also "big nation" capabilities.
I know this-America didn't start on a path to a great nation until it's sovereignty was challenged by bloody civil war. We had the luxury, I suppose, of doing so in a near vacumn. The world is no longer so large.
I tend to believe that there are crucibles by which nationhood is defined and progresses. A nation, IMHO, exceeds the "state" and is earned-not granted. Perhaps it's only now that Pakistan is "earning" it's nationhood.
A comment from a slightly earlier post of yours-
"See 41 nations in a Muslim country in which not even one muslim country is willing to participate in anything other than humanitarian relief is lost on you -- this disconnect ought to give you sleepless nights, it does me."
Well, Turkey has been a fairly consistent presence in some form or fashion. Naturally, their presence lended only a modest positive influence. Turkic is evidently one of the lesser spoken languages of Afghanistan and certainly not a favored tongue of the Pashtu.
Muslim humanitarian relief, in general, has often appeared an oxymoron. Little explains the neglect with which Palestinians are treated by their own except when it's shooting time with the Jews.
Then they're quite the righteous champions. Were I Palestinian, I'd wish the pox to y'all. Really.
Plenty of muslim dollars to toss around. The causes just seem a tad incendiary and counter-productive.
"If not today, then soon, Dollar ascendancy will be seriously challeneged and effect a "way of life" Americans are used to -- and the political consequences of this development will be either learning to play well, or more external wars."
I don't think our economic system is so easily summed. Neither do I think your crystal-ball gazing is a certainty over the next two decades. Beyond that, who knows? Finally there seems more than a small element of wishful thinking to the premise.
Until there's any real ascendancy by a truly consuming Chinese middle-class that reflects a greater distribution of wealth (and that's been set WAY back here recently), we won't see our leverage disappear with China. Your premise also presumes an inability by America to self-correct or re-invent ourselves when we've never failed in the past to do so effectively.
"SOme 7 years back I had said that for Muslims the most important question in this era is "what does it mean to be Muslim"? and it seems to me that this is even more resonant than it was 7 years ago."
Well, forgive me, but I'd encourage you to think of your religion as a place to go on Friday to cast out the sins of the previous six days but to otherwise not reflect such a celestial pre-occupation.
Our earthly demands are too great. A lil' more of the ol' "...
render under Caesar that which is his..." thingy would go a long way.
Then hold Caesar accountable.