A City Upon a Crumbling Hill?
Interrogations on a possible decline of U.S. leadership are a regular occurrence in the country.
The current debate mobilizes the traditional issues of the enemy (today, China), and of “imperial overstretch,” after over ten years of unsatisfactory military operations. However, this time, domestic concerns are of equal prevalence, with strong economic difficulties remaining and a seemingly unresolvable political polarization. Is the United States undergoing a real decline today, or is this just another episode from which the country will emerge with its usual resilience?
This paper is published in French only: Le débat décliniste aux Etats-Unis
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Ifri's work on the Americas region focuses mainly on the United States. Indeed, for more than 20 years, Ifri's Americas Program has provided keys to understanding American society and domestic policy while shedding light on developments in the country's foreign policy, including transatlantic relations and trade issues.
Since 2023, a specific axis on Latin America structures more actively Ifri's research on this region.
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