In a rallying call to the Western world, US President Barack Obama on Wednesday denied that the rise of powers such as China, India and Brazil meant the inevitable decline of Europe and the United States.
In a keynote speech to Britain's two houses of parliament meant to inject new momentum into the transatlantic alliance which has bolstered global security since World War II, Obama said Western nations must renew themselves.
"Countries like China, India and Brazil are growing by leaps and bounds," Obama said, arguing that in the end, the emergence of new powers would benefit everyone.
"As this rapid change has taken place, it has become fashionable in some quarters to question whether the rise of these nations will accompany the decline of American and European influence around the world," Obama said.
"Perhaps, the argument goes, these nations represent the future, and the time for our leadership has passed.
"That argument is wrong. The time for our leadership is now.
"It was the United States, the United Kingdom and our democratic allies that shaped a world in which new nations could emerge and individuals could thrive.
"And even as more nations take on the responsibilities of global leadership, our Alliance will remain indispensable to the goal of a century that is more peaceful, more prosperous and more just.
"We remain the greatest catalysts for global action."
Obama's speech in historic Westminster Hall has been long awaited by foreign policy experts and political leaders who have speculated that Obama believes America's future lies with emerging giants and not its old allies.
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