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Republican Ron Paul, who ran for President in 2012, has compared the US to the final days of the Soviet Union. In an outburst live on TV the Texas representative argued the years of US dominance on the international stage were numbered. He said: “The way I see it is in economic terms.

GETTY Ron Paul has said that the US will suffer the same end as the Soviet Union

“My understanding is that it wasn’t our military build-up in the United States that brought the Soviet system down. “What happened was the Soviets were working with a system that we – people in free markets – saw as totally unviable.” While the US economy is on the up, the politician claimed the country’s militarism that could lead to their eventual downfall.

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He continued: “We’re gonna have a sudden, cataclysmic end which is sort of what happened to the Soviet system. “It’s not going to be identical, there was a succession movement and some of those countries left the Soviet system. “Our states probably aren’t going to break up, but I do sincerely believe that we will no longer be able to afford our empire around the world.”

The US is involved in a number of conflicts around the world, including the fight against ISIS in the Middle East. Since becoming President Donald Trump has also spent a considerable amount of time focusing on North Korea. As well as sending a number of Tweets on the subject, he has also addressed the issue in a speech at the United Nations and in an address to the South Korean Assembly.

GETTY Ron Paul ran for the Republican nomination for President in 2012