There has been a political-intellectual debate throughout the past several decades concerning an alleged decline of the U.S. as an unrivaled superpower, a decline that mirrors a familiar cycle in the history of world leaders.
Declinist literature began to appear in recent history when certain intellectuals saw a connection between America’s expanded global leadership after World War II and Edward Gibbon’s 1780s tome, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The thesis, simply put, is that throughout history countries that took on large economic and military roles eventually faltered. …
Toward the end of 2018, Gallup updated a relatively long trend asking Americans whether they thought the upcoming year (2019) would be “a year when America will increase its power in the world, or a year when American power will decline.” Americans were divided, with 49% choosing each option. CONT.
V. Lance Tarrance, Gallup