Power and Willpower in the American Future: Why the United States Is Not Destined to Decline

Description

To argue against the widely proclaimed idea of American decline, as this book does, might seem a lonely task. After all, the problems are real and serious. Yet if we take a longer view, much of the discourse about decline appears exaggerated, hyperbolic, and ahistorical. Why? First, because of the deep underlying strengths of the United States. These include not only size, population, demography, and resources, but also the scale and importance of its economy and financial markets, its scientific research and technology, its competitiveness, its military power, and its attractiveness to talented immigrants. Second, there is the weight of history and of American exceptionalism. Throughout its history, the United States has repeatedly faced and eventually overcome daunting challenges and crises. Contrary to a prevailing pessimism, there is nothing inevitable about American decline. Flexibility, adaptability, and the capacity for course correction provide the United States with a unique resilience that has proved invaluable in the past and will do so in the future. Ultimately, the ability to avoid serious decline is less a question of material factors than of policy, leadership, and political will. Cover Power and Willpower in the American Future Title Copyright Contents Tables Acknowledgments Introduction 1: The American Future: Problems of Primacy, Policy, and Purpose Primacy Past and Present Responses to Decline Information, Socialization, and National Identity “Will versus Wallet” in the American Future 2: Domestic and Global Interactions: Economics, Energy, and American Power Financial Crises in Perspective Competitiveness and Crisis Response The Perils of Oil Import Dependence Power and Domestic Capacity 3: American Attitudes and Institutions Public Attitudes Domestic Doctrine and Policy Domestic Capacity Challenges and Challengers 4: Threats to Persistent Primacy and the Rise of Others Elusive Dangers: Volatility in Threat Assessment Thinking about Threats The Rise of Others The Rise of China China's Domestic Constraints China and Its Neighbors Tangible Threats and Shifts in the International Distribution of Power Twenty-First-Century Realities 5: Stretch or “Imperial Overstretch”? Military Costs and Capabilities Problems of Collective Action: Allies and Burden Sharing Limits of Global Governance Unipolarity and Apolarity Commitments and Political Sustainability 6: Power and Willpower in the American Future Is This Time Different? America's Edge Ideas, Beliefs, and Policies What Is to Be Done at Home What Is to Be Done Abroad Why the Declinists Are Wrong Again Index