Is America in Decline?

Foreign Affairs, May-June 2008 issue

The era of U.S. hegemony is coming to an end and other powers are rising. In this issue of Foreign Affairs, Fareed Zakaria contrasts America’s dwindling power with the decline of the British Empire while CFR President Richard Haass examines the consequences of a nonpolar world. The United States can continue to lead, they argue, but only if the “rise of the rest” is managed properly.

Two views that offer food for thought on a topic often discussed at Wednesday Night

The Future of American Power
How America Can Survive the Rise of the Rest
Fareed Zakaria
Summary: Despite some eerie parallels between the position of the United States today and that of the British Empire a century ago, there are key differences. Britain’s decline was driven by bad economics. The United States, in contrast, has the strength and dynamism to continue shaping the world — but only if it can overcome its political dysfunction and reorient U.S. policy for a world defined by the rise of other powers.

The Age of Nonpolarity
What Will Follow U.S. Dominance
Richard N. Haass
Summary: The United States’ unipolar moment is over. International relations in the twenty-first century will be defined by nonpolarity. Power will be diffuse rather than concentrated, and the influence of nation-states will decline as that of nonstate actors increases. But this is not all bad news for the United States; Washington can still manage the transition and make the world a safer place.