American decline

Disused Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. At the height of its success and productivity, the company was a symbol of American manufacturing leadership in the world. The company suspended most of its steelmaking operations in 1982 and declared bankruptcy in 2001; this factory is now part of the Bethlehem Works development site.

American decline is the idea that the United States of America is diminishing in power on a relative basis geopolitically, militarily, financially, economically, and technologically. It can also refer to absolute declines demographically, socially, morally, spiritually, culturally, in matters of healthcare, and/or on environmental issues.[1][2][3] There has been debate over the extent of the decline and whether it is relative or absolute.[4][5][6]

Shrinking military advantages, deficit spending, geopolitical overreach, and a shift in moral, social, and behavioral conditions have been associated with American decline. The ascent of China as a potential superpower emerged as a central concern in discussions about the decline of American influence since the late 2010s, with some scholars suggesting that China has the potential to challenge the United States' current position as the world's leading superpower, though other scholars have criticized this view.[7][8][6][9]

Scholars say that the perception of decline, or declinism, has long been part of American culture.[10][11] Rhetoric of American decline was prevalent in the 1950s, 1970s and 1980s, as well as in the aftermath of the 2008 Financial Crisis.[12]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sarah was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "The Hidden Meaning Of American Decline". Huffington Post. May 24, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  3. ^ Rosenberg, Mark; Marber, Peter (January 22, 2021). "Biden's opportunity to flip the script on U.S. decline". Newsweek. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Atlantic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Edelman, Eric S. (2010). "Understanding America's Contested Primacy" (PDF). Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Brooks, Stephen G.; Wohlforth, William C. (April 18, 2023). "The Myth of Multipolarity". Foreign Affairs. Vol. 102, no. 3. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  7. ^ Beckley, Michael (2018). "The Power of Nations: Measuring What Matters". International Security. 43 (2): 7–44. doi:10.1162/isec_a_00328. ISSN 0162-2889.
  8. ^ Lind, Jennifer (2024). "Back to Bipolarity: How China's Rise Transformed the Balance of Power". International Security. 49 (2): 7–55. doi:10.1162/isec_a_00494. ISSN 0162-2889.
  9. ^ Røren, Pål (2024). "Unipolarity is not over yet". Global Studies Quarterly. 4 (2). doi:10.1093/isagsq/ksae018. ISSN 2634-3797.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference nati_Don't_Panic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Norrlof, Carla; Wohlforth, William C. (2019). "Raison de l'Hégémonie (The Hegemon's Interest): Theory of the Costs and Benefits of Hegemony". Security Studies. 28 (3): 422–450. doi:10.1080/09636412.2019.1604982. ISSN 0963-6412.