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For years the USA has been synonymous with power, being arguably the most formidable state in the world for some time. However, recent years have painted a different image, one where the USA might have to give up its crown.
If the term ‘global superpower’ is understood as a reference to those states that fundamentally shape the world stage both in terms of hard and soft power, it is easy to see how the USA would have been considered such, particularly during and directly after WWII. However, it is also important to consider the role of a superpower as being to lead the world towards the future, and in recent years the USA seems to be doing the opposite.
The most glaring example of this apparent regression is the 2022 overturning of the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, removing the federal protection of abortions up to 24 weeks and instead giving states full authority on the matter. The repealing of this ruling marks a turn backwards, towards the approaches to healthcare that the country had in the 1960s, which does not inspire global confidence that the USA is poised to lead the world into the future. On the other hand, France, as of 5th March 2024, has become the first country to enshrine abortion rights into its constitution, leading many to consider whether the USA is still the right choice to lead the global community into the future.
In a similar vein, the rise of the BRICS nations also poses a threat to the USA’s position on the world stage in terms of economics. The growth in calls for de-dollarisation mark a transition period in global economics, with Putin considering the process to be “irreversible”. This is particularly evident since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, after which the USA was seen to be weaponizing the dollar, leaving many developing countries wanting to invest in alternative currencies for trade purposes.
The state of the USA’s domestic politics must also be considered in relation to its position on the global stage. It can be assumed that in order to effectively lead a global community a state must first be stable in itself. While the US is not currently undergoing a civil war or similar kind of social unrest, the political and social divisions that plague the country foster worldwide uncertainty about the state’s stability.
The question of the 2024 presidential election is one such issue. Colorado’s decision to remove Donald Trump from its ballot underlines the depth of these political conflicts, and while the Supreme Court have overruled Colorado’s decision, allowing Donald Trump to run in the upcoming election, the need for such intervention does not place the country in a position of political unity. Moreover, the fact that Colorado’s reasoning for Trump’s removal from the presidential ballot was that he engaged in insurrection by fuelling the mob attacks on the capitol following President Biden’s victory in 2020, poses further questions about the reliability of the USA to lead the world when its own leadership is being so challenged.
Similarly, the recent charging of Jack Teixeira, the 22-year-old that leaked high-profile intelligence documents via discord has reminded the world of some of the US’s most serious security issues, and creates further concern about whether, if the country is apparently unable to maintain its domestic security, how it will lead a system of secure international cooperation.
The history of the US as a true global superpower is undeniable; it was a highly prosperous leading economy that shaped the world political stage at every turn. However, the country’s future looks less shiny than this. With the rise of the BRICS nations, the predictions that by 2050 China will be the most influential economy in the world, and France’s enshrinement of abortion rights into its constitution, the position of global superpower will soon have an array of choices at its feet, and with the USA’s current political divides and seemingly backwards legislative attitudes, the question is: will the US be one of these choices or not?
Image = Sebi Ryffel, “USA”, 2008//CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED
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