The USA is the largest superpower in the world. What would be the consequences of its decline? The inevitable truth is that The United States of America is the biggest superpower in the west (and the world at the moment) and this nation is declining as a superpower. The US acts as the international police fighting for countries across the world and working towards making them a peaceful and prosperous nation. However, the decline of US international intervention will create more turmoil in eastern countries.
Due to economic and internal political issues, America was forced to withdraw troops from Iraq, after an extremely costly decade-long military occupation, leaving in place a regime more closely allied to Iran, the US ’ regional adversary. The Iraq war depleted the US economy, deprived American corporations of oil wealth, greatly enlarged Washington ’s budget and trade deficits and reduced the living standards of American citizens. The Afghanistan war had a similar outcome, with high external costs, military retreat, fragile clients, domestic disaffection and no short or medium term transfers of wealth (imperial pillage) to the US Treasury or private corporations. The Libyan war led to the total destruction of a modern, oil-rich economy in North Africa, the total dissolution of state and civil society and the emergence of armed tribal, fundamentalist militias opposed to US and EU client regimes in North and sub-Sahara Africa and beyond. The current Syrian “proxy war” has strengthened radical Islamist warlords, destroyed Damascus ’ economy and added massive refugee pressure to the already uprooted millions from wars in Iraq and Libya. US imperial wars have resulted in economic losses, regional political instability and military gains for Islamist adversaries.
These missions which are degrading and harming the US economy are driving the eastern world, which is creating disparity as they are taking advantage of America’s poor economic conditions and inability to fight. Eastern superpowers will grow and make efforts to seize and annex other countries around them to gain more political power, due to insecurity which is caused by the amount of military confrontations and threats. It is also evident that many countries have taken extra caution due to many encounters of terrorism and acts of hostility between countries. US changed their foreign policy due to insecurity after 9/11. They changed their focus on terror, alleged allies, humanitarian support and more.
Along with increased power in Eastern countries the world will have to deal with more terrorist organizations.
America, as it loses economic power and militia power, reduces its ability for direct influence in waging war in Middle Eastern countries. Instead, the US is forced to wage a proxy war. A current example of a proxy war would be ISIS. As the US due to its inability to support further missions was forced to pull out troops from Iraq. This resulted in the growth of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). The United States are still making efforts to stop this act of terrorism by funding countries in the Middle East like Turkey to help prevent further domination by ISIS. Other countries who oppose the US ideals are funding ISIS as an indirect method of waging war. This turmoil between these two bloc’s that have been created, one supporting ISIS and one against ISIS are demonstrating a proxy war which is common event in a cold war. Overall, With the fall of the large policing superpower US we are giving birth to fragmented superpower nations in the middle east which are largely controlled by terrorists. With the recent setbacks US has come to a realization that it is expensive to fight the militia directly and it may have to take a more passive approach and fight incognito supporting various local factions. This is similar to the situation in Afghanistan in the 80’s when a proxy war was fought between US and the Soviets.
These are the consequences that the world will face as the superpower nation of US declines.