The US is currently on a quest to make America great again. But great according to who: the global community, the American people, or both? There is little dispute America is the only standing Superpower in the world (Metla, 2015) but according to Global Trends 2030 (Kojm, 2012) America will lose its Superpower status by 2030, thus eliminating the Superpower designation of countries and giving way to global networks and coalitions as the new Superpower (Metla, 2015). Some cite factors such as policies in the Middle East, deteriorated human rights perspective, ineffective stalemated Congress, and continued recovery from the 2008 financial collapse (Metla, 2015) as reasons why the US is diminishing in its Superpower status. The American people are struggling through a stagnation of wages for lower-income families, inadequate investment in deteriorating infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, energy shortages, and a sizable current account and budget deficits (CIA, 2016). With this rising litany of concerns, many make a strong case that America is truly in decline and need efforts to make American great again. If these factors are not addressed and changed, America is headed into territory it is unfamiliar with.
Despite this, there are some who argue that America is not in need to be made great again. America has never been in a position to shape the world to its will (Kagan, 2012), and remains one of the most powerful countries despite its diminished capacity to lead global order (Walt, 2012). This author believes America has gotten lost in political rhetoric and power struggles and fails to live out its founding principles.
References
CIA. (2016). The World Factbook.
Kagan, R. (2012, January 10). Against the Myth of American Decline. Retrieved February 4, 2017, from https://newrepublic.com/article/99521/america-world-power-declinism
Kojm, C. (2012, December). Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds | Economic Growth. Retrieved February 4, 2017, from https://www.scribd.com/doc/115962650/Global-Trends-2030-Alternative-Worlds
Metla, V. (2015, June 10). Is the United States a Superpower in Decline? – Law Street (TM). Law Street (TM). Retrieved from https://lawstreetmedia.com/issues/world/united-states-superpower-decline/
Walt, S. M. (2012, January). Whether or not the U.S. is declining is the wrong question. Foreign Policy. Retrieved from https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/01/26/whether-or-not-the-u-s-is-declining-is-the-wrong-question/
