I use CIA World Factbook for convenience (it's really a nice collection of data) and because it's generally less prone to be challenged as source in an English-speaking environment.

The ECB is responsible for inflation, not for growth. And central banks have a well-deserved reputation for being in love with stability.

About demand - I'm tired to discuss first week economic studies content anymore:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand

About Non-Americans having less money at hand when they stop exporting to the USA: Would be true if the U.S. bought its surplus imports with anything else than loans.
If in the current situation the USA would cut its imports and keep exports stable, the rest of the world would have MORE money for consumption/investment at hand (simply because the USA would not lend it to pay for the imports).


B2topic; Sure, the U.S. economy is large, even its small industrial part. It's just like that it doesn't resemble the economy of the 40's to 70's that some people still think about when they think of U.S. economic power and how well the military is being backed up by that.
I disliked the original picture because it was suitable to reinforce the idea of an extreme superiority that's simply not true for some critical branches and quite the opposite for some as well.