1) Why will the role of the US as the world’s superpower be reduced in the coming decade?
Ever since the end of the cold war, America became the only superpower maintaining stability and peace. But with the recent economic trend, this leadership has been weakened.
In fact, the Great Recession of 2008 put the USA into debt ; the 50 States in the USA are in a difficult financial situation, about ten American states are in a stoppage of payment, California which represents 8% of the world economy is broke. These are just the most obvious sign of the American economic decline.
This decline will affect the geopolitical role of the USA. Indeed, to save money on foreign and defense policy, the US government will have to reduce the military spending, and this reduction of the “American Empire” will surely change the governance and the place of America in the world. For instance, with all his debt, America will be more dependent of China, its main creditor (and vice versa) and the new reference currency: the euro.
Finally, this evolution is an inevitable consequence of globalization; the US has to be brought down as the rest of the world lifted up (China, India, Brazil, Russia…). America will have to face this fact; it’s not a unipolar world anymore and as Fareed Zakaria said: « this is not about the decline of America but rather about the rise of everyone else »
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2) In your opinion, is a reduction in US power a good thing for the international community?
America is the “Gendarme of the world”, they represent the global stability and are a good mean of pressure for terrorism for instance. Their army force is everywhere: Germany, Italy, Philippines, Greece … With the regression of power, the world could be threatened by wars and abuses.
On the other hand, the decline of US power would certainly improve their foreign relations because by reducing the US power, it will limit the crispation that certain countries can fell. It would also wake up Europe