The US national debt is huge, and mostly held by foreign countries. What would happen to the US economy if these countries suddenly asked for their money back?

total economic ruin from which there would be no recovery.

don't worry they won't ask, coz they are too afraid to ask.

We'd be screwed.

national debt IS huge!!! at $11.8 trillion, it's flirting with being about 80% of our nation's gross national product, the sum total value of all goods and services produced in the united states. it's been greater, twice for sure and maybe a third time. ww2 pushed it to GNP. the civil war pushed it above GNP. i suspect the revolutionary war might have also. most debt is owned by the social security administration - i saw that it holds about $5 trillion in u.s. debt. about $3 trillion is owed to foreign governments and citizens, with communist china holding $850 million. they won't suddenly ask for it back when they're making that money back from selling the us broken toys and broken electronics. if we have allies left, they won't ask for the money back when they know it'll crush us. if the us economy collapses, the world will sink into darkness ...

First thing to realize is the USA has no money and hasn't since the Federal Reserve Bill was signed by President Wilson except for a very short period of time when Kennedy was president.

The USA borrows currency from the Federal Reserve who creates it out of thin air and loans it to the US treasurey at interest. The "Fed" is a private corporation who owns the currency used in the USA.

They are in alignment with the 12 major banking corproations around the world who control all the currencies for their gain. Therefore no foreign country is going to ask for the money. It is just shuffled around as needed.

Read the following to understand what I have said better...http://www.lovethetruth.com/federal_reserve.htm

We will print more dollars and give them as dollar rules the world till today. Also our muscle power will make sure dollar rules tomorrow too.

Only thing we need to worry is loosing our muscle to someone.

Most of the debt is not held by foreign countries. If you go to this web site it has a pie chart of who "owns" the nation debt as of Sept 2005 http://www.optimist123.com/optimist/2005/11/pie_chart_of_wh.html. The largest single owner of the debt is the Social Security systemwith around
3.4 trillion dollars. Followed by the People of the United States with 2.5 trillion dollars. Foreign countries is a little over 2 trillion dollars. And of those foreign countries with exeption of China they are all strong alies to our country, So they would not suddenly ask for the money back. To them it is an investment they are making interest on the money.

Most of you are wrong. these debt are in the form of bonds. When you hold a bond you have to wait until it matures to get your money back. So if you own a us government bond you cannot just stand up and ask your money back.

Read this post on government bonds.

http://investorstimes.blogspot.com/2009/01/is-it-time-to-buy-bonds.html

It doesn't work that way.

The debt is sold to them just like how any bond is sold to you. There is a term and a coupon rate. When you buy a 5 year bond at 4% your term is five years and the rate is 4%. So if the bond costs $100 you give them $100, and they give you a piece of paper that promises they will send you $4 a year for the next five year, and and the end you will get $100 back.

You can't say after 2 years "oh I want my $100 that I lent you back." You have to wait out the 5 years until the bond matures. Or you can sell the bond to someone else.