American Decline News & Analysis

Credibility Index: A Data-Driven Approach to Assessing the Resilience of US Power

STRAIT OF HORMUZ (Oct. 29, 2011) The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) transits the Strait of Hormuz. Bataan is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Quartermaster 1st Class Thomas E. Dowling/Released) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_Official_U.S._Navy_Imagery_-_Day_is_done_gone_the_sun..jpg

Structural indicators of hegemony like military, institutional, and financial capacity suggest that the US global power is far more likely to decline than collapse outright.

The Twilight of Pax Americana

KABUL, AFghanistan (Sept. 11, 2010) Fire Controlman 1st Class Andrew Eden, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Joint Command disclosure officer, right, and French Air Force Sgt. Lydia Briand prepare to raise the American Flag at Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Swafford/released)

The United States bears many of the hallmarks of a hegemon in decline.

Whither the US-Centered, Rule-Based World Order?

ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 28, 2017) An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 approaches the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). The aircraft carrier is underway conducting test and evaluation operations.(U.S. Navy photo by Erik Hildebrandt/Released) 170728-N-UZ648-093 Join the conversation:, https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/35935346800/in/photolist-73xwQ3-bx8A7m-8bgZJZ-jGtJPV-8rFwu6-WKu3CQ-2bPge3b-6CYVDv-FjbmE-dq1KwF-Rz9xwb-fqWPet-WXvXgH-WCC7qw-VTgAR6-VHscgC-r69uHG-SMTp9i-afUB7x-pkLXJD-pkSCdZ-RNoCeE-XapLGv-S6favF-WphFgD-eX7i2e-WfVpyx-X7okFP-nYd9Zc-Wi7YwJ-WGnjWo-8E831P-34Ydj3-8bk4ff-VHWtSk-VQnRWU-RRGeMW-X7ouFx-7xWZ7b-RRGgvf-X7nTRH-bzyXYC-piQzBd

How long can a world order survive when its creator and primary benefactor is actively working to undermine it?

American Decline and the Limits of Academic Thinking

President Donald J. Trump delivers remarks at Yokota Air Base | November 5, 2017 (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) / modified

A new Harvard report has cast some light on American decline and the US presidential race, but it also illustrates the limits of academic thinking.

Iran Nuclear Deal Reflects Dangerous US Weakness

Iran-US Flags, Generated by Google Gemini on July 25, 2025.

The Iran nuclear deal will not be viewed favorably by future historians.

America’s Bad Year in the Middle East and Pakistan

cc Obama White House, modified, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2014/08/07/president-obama-makes-statement-iraq / President Barack Obama delivers a statement on Iraq in the State Dining Room of the White House, Aug. 7, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

2011 was poor for the Obama Administration in most of the Islamic world.

America and the Politics of Disaster

public domain, whitehouse.gov, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Obama_Health_Care_Speech_to_Joint_Session_of_Congress.jpg

Though Republicans and Democrats have managed to piece together a last-minute bill to stave off a potentially ruinous default, the rancorous process and tepid end result both point to a new kind of politics in Washington.

An Emerging Flashpoint: South China Sea

South China Sea; Generated by Google Gemini on July 28, 2025.

The conflict between China and Vietnam over the South China Sea is not just a petty squabble over maritime sovereignty.

The Resource Wars of Tomorrow

Santa Barbara Channel / Ellwood Oil Field. From left to right: Harmony, Hondo, Heritage., cc Flickr Glenn Beltz, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

A list of global sites deemed sensitive to US national security interests, recently leaked by Wikileaks, acts as a window into a world where global free trade has been disrupted and access to primary resources is paramount.

UN Reform: Critical Issue of the Next Decade

UN Reform abstraction, Generated by Google Gemini on July 28, 2025.

Reforming the UN Security Council stands as a key barometer for assessing the international system`s transition from a post-Cold War US hegemony to a more multipolar distribution of economic and military power.

Past Battles Haunt in UK Defense Review

cc Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet CNE CNA C6F , modified, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth pictured at sea for the first time with USS The Sullivans. Wednesday 19 May 2021 saw a historic moment in Britain’s carrier renaissance as HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales met at sea for the first time. With two 65,000 tonne carriers in operational service, Britain has a continuous carrier strike capability, with one vessel always ready to respond to global events at short notice. / https://www.flickr.com/photos/cne-cna-c6f/51199726246

Impending defense cuts in the United Kingdom, and the alarm that they are generating in Washington, are both indicative of a shifting global balance of power.

BRIC Countries Come Together on Iran

cc https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1st_BRIC_summit_Ekaterinburg.jpg, kremlin.ru, modified

BRIC countries are set to propose a resolution in support of Iran at the UN General Assembly; a further sign that the forum could evolve a more political dimension in the future.

Beyond the Peak? Unpacking the American Decline Narrative

Generated by Google Gemini on July 27, 2025.

American decline has once again become a fashionable prophecy in academic and media circles. This time, BRIC countries like China and India have replaced the specter of a rising Japan, the country that was often cited by ‘declinists’

Hegemonic Decline or Practical Diplomacy?

President Barack Obama speaks during a ceremony honoring the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks Sept. 11, 2016, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley) https://uz.usembassy.gov/remarks-president-obama-911-memorial-observance-ceremony/

Although President Obama’s decision to scrap Bush-era plans to build missile defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic can be taken as a consequence of America’s declining hegemonic power, it is underpinned by several practical military and diplomatic considerations.

The Iranian Oil Bourse

Generated by ChatGPT on July 25, 2025.

Threats to American economic dominance and the USD continue to grow as oil producing regions talk about, and act on, abandoning USD denominated oil sales and currency pegs.

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