https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/is-the-u-s-empire-in-jeopardy/
The U.S. has been an able leader of the free world for a long time, but it’s now looking tired and uncertain. Their politics is a mess, and their global leadership is in serious jeopardy. And that was before the coronavirus pandemic. If Trump is re-elected, there’s little hope for renewal, which has been a longstanding hallmark of American society. Indeed, with another four years under his rule, their political system would likely reach unthinkable new lows. Conversely, with a Democrat in the White House, can the situation be salvaged?
It’s therefore not an exaggeration, to ask if the U.S. empire is in jeopardy. It is entirely possible, if we look to history. The past is littered with empires that have come and gone. Reigns that seemed invincible were no more and futures were forever changed.
While predictions are for fools, I believe it would be prudent for the Canadian government to weigh the continued decline of the U.S. as a real option, and what this would mean for our national and global interests. Blaming Trump alone would be too simple. The gradual and unmistakable political, economic and social erosion started well before his administration.
In 2008, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, wrote an enlightening book about how developing countries were on the rise and challenging America. His book was entitled, The Post-American World, and the Rise of the Rest, and his premise was that America was not necessarily on the decline. Rather, it was more about the rapid ascension of other nations. In the intervening 12 years, however, it is painfully clear that America has been slipping quickly. One need only to consider some of the prevailing ailments.
Washington politics has become bitterly divided, more extreme and paralyzed on many fronts. The two parties are barely talking to each other. There was a time, when the two, despite their differences, would band together when the national interest was at stake. That is no longer the case, which weakens their ability to lead at home and abroad.
Money has badly corroded their political arena and restricted who can enter it. Without any serious limits, democracy is being “bought and paid for.” While Bernie Sanders passionately laments this, both parties have become beholden to the American dollar. In the 2012 election, for example, Obama and Romney each spent over a billion dollars, just trying to get elected. That’s an obscene amount, which fuels the alienation that average Americans feel. The belief that their government is no longer theirs.