As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, many of us seem to have forgotten a primary reason for America’s great success. In 250 years, our country became the world’s political, economic, and technological leader and the preeminent military, democratic, and moral force. This collective amnesia comes at a time of rising global competition, burgeoning multipolarity, and declining respect for our country in many parts of the world.
This competition we face today was on full display during the reception for President Donald Trump's May State Visit to Beijing, China's remarkable infrastructure and architectural achievements televised for the world to see, and broad reporting of China's dramatic technological advances (from human-like robots, to EVs, to solar panels, to widespread use of AI) revived a recurring multi-year debate among international observers and some Americans as well: is America in decline while is China on the rise? Numerous Chinese leaders reinforced this narrative.
Yet the narrative may be overstated. While China is certainly on a spectacular rise, that does not necessarily portend America's decline. History is full of two or more countries thriving together at the same time. The 19th-century Concert of Europe saw the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Austria, and Prussia all grow. After WWII, both Germany and Japan rebounded. And in recent decades, countries such as South Korea, Singapore, the UAE, Malaysia, and India have all risen.
For their part, many U.S. leaders have rejected this dark story of decline. But as several surveys have consistently indicated, optimism about our country's outlook has undeniably weakened. Stridently polarized and partisan American political discourse, attacks on our educational system and advanced research programs, major fragmentation in our alliances, a decline in confidence in government institutions over the years, the undermining of efforts to narrow soci
