Is this the end of the American empire?

About this episode

The episode explores whether the United States is experiencing a temporary crisis of legitimacy or the deeper unravelling of its empire amidst rising global powers and changing international dynamics.

Some argue that the age of American dominance is beginning to fracture, as rival powers rise, global trust erodes, and the institutions that once upheld U.S. leadership lose their force. Others contend that talk of decline is overstated, and that America remains the world’s central economic, military, and cultural power, however contested its position may now be. We explore whether the United States is witnessing a temporary crisis of legitimacy or the deeper unravelling of an empire. We debate the meaning of a more multipolar world: whether it promises a healthier diffusion of power, or a more unstable international order marked by uncertainty, conflict, and competing spheres of influence. Along the way, we examine the enduring power of the dollar, the challenge posed by China and other rising states, and the global systems that still bear the imprint of American primacy. Our discussion also turns to the moral dimension of empire. Has America lost the authority to present itself as a force for freedom and stability, or was that claim always more myth than reality? We engage directly with difficult questions about war, soft power, and political legitimacy, and ask whether the end…

Topics covered

• American empire
• global power dynamics
• multipolar world
• U.S. leadership
• moral dimension of empire

Keywords

• American dominance
• China
• global trust
• dollar
• soft power

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: We are all birds of a distant land

Places: U.S., America, the United States, China

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