WWIII seems inevitable, infact I believe we are in it already.
The US will paint itself into a corner economicly.
China will buy up as much of the worlds valuable resources. (as they are already doing)
Iraq war: secure oil and move bases out of Saudi Arabia. (Saudis didn't like foriegn troops on their holy lands)
Afganistan: secure 1.5 trillion in lithium (Or denigh it to China)
Lybia: Secure the oil for Europe (Also Lybia has more gold reserves then the US, we'll be needing that)
Meanwhile China makes noises about not buying our debt.
Soon probably around 2013 (After Obama is re-elected) we will have the inevitable dollar collapse.
China and the rest of the world will start dumping our treasury notes.
We will have no industry to speak of and few natural resources. (That arn't already owned by someone else)
We will be in the same position that we placed Japan in prior to WWII. (Few resources and a need for oil and heavy industry)
I think China/Russia/India/Brazil will delight in teaching the US a hard lesson of turnabout is fair play.
This puts the US in a position of still having the worlds most powerful military.
But no economy to pay for it.
You will get a use it or loss it mentality.
We will be the aggressers this time, and we will have to win it within six months.
IMO the only logical course of action for the US is a strategic nuclear first strike.
We get to Pearl Harbor them!
Or give up ever manufacturing high tech electronics or pretty much anything else in the US again.