The World Needs More USA, Not Less

The atmosphere in Washington, D.C., is far from merry. I recently visited the city to meet with foreign policy think tanks. The sense of resignation became palpable during these meetings: The United States is in decline, and Americans are painfully aware of it.

Last weekend, Republican Senators John McCain [(R-AZ)] and Lindsey Graham [(R-SC)] made a joint statement that criticizes America's settlement with Russia on Syria’s chemical weapons. Both politicians were concerned over the “provocative weakness” the agreement signals. In a situation where Iran is trying to develop its own nuclear weapons, it is hard to think of a worse message to the world,* they believe.

The flip-flopping surrounding the Syrian chemical weapons is a painfully clear illustration of the waning international influence of the United States. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Obama’s indecision and paralysis has left the scene open for Putin to play the role of responsible world politician. With a stronger United States, such a scenario would have been unthinkable.

The American decline is most evident within the military. In 2013, defense expenditure was estimated as having been cut by 7.9 percent. From 2014 to 2021, the cutbacks will continue equally briskly. The cutting of military budgets in a time of economic crisis is logical: The pattern is familiar on our side of the Atlantic. However, the logic of disarmament does not make it more desirable.

Despite the challenges, the U.S. continues to exert extensive cultural influence. Large parts of the world still watch Hollywood films and listen to American artists, and within the world of academia, the U.S. has most of the top-ranking universities. A superpower is defined by its global influence within several areas: military and political but also economic and cultural. The soft power of the U.S. should not be underestimated.

Nonetheless, the recognition of America’s cultural relevance is not enough to lighten the atmosphere in Washington, D.C. When all is said and done, the big international questions are decided by military capability. The lack of U.S. muscle has allowed the conflict in Syria to escalate into a regional crisis and made it possible for Bashar al-Assad to slaughter his own people.

Advocates of a liberal-democratic world order cannot help but be concerned by the decline of the United States. The U.S.’ undermining its own authority by surveillance scandals or dubious use of drones does not help the situation. However, the growth of China and Russia’s international role at the expense of the U.S. ought to be a greater cause for concern. To say the least, there is a clear lack of a democratic alternative to the U.S. as a superpower.

As long as the American disarmament continues, we will see more players like Putin take a greater place in the international arena. Resignation seems no longer confined to Washington, but has come to spread to other democratic countries. The world needs more, not less, of the United States of America as the world’s policeman.

* Editor's note: The original quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified. This part of the original statement might not have referred to the “world” in general but to “Iran” specifically.