Decline means the deterioration of a country by existing standards compared to the past, and does not mean collapse or elimination.
The United States has been recognized as the world's leading power in recent decades, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it moved into isolation and decline due to its insistence on unilateralism, and Trump's policies accelerated this process. The decline means the United States distancing itself from the hallmarks of the country as a superpower in the world.
Trump's policies undermined the components that led to American supremacy. Usually, in the domestic arena, the exercise of prudent governance and wise management of the country creates security, stability, social welfare and becomes a model for power for other countries. In the field of foreign policy, the characteristics of a superpower are constructive interaction with the countries of the world, forming alliances with allies, a strong presence in important regions of the world, acceptance and popularity in public opinion and proper use of international institutions. Examining these components domestically and externally reveals the role of Trump's policies in the decline of the United States.
A. Internal arena
1. The anti-racist demonstrations that became the most widespread social movement in American history after the brutal assassination of a black man named George Floyd could have been curbed by the proper management of the US administration led by Trump, but Trump's racist approach and support for violent US police crackdowns on people of color made it a trend. This trend continued despite the Trump administration's efforts to counter it, and will reappear in a new format in later periods. In the process, popular protests have targeted not only US executives and agents, but also the ruling structure of the United States as a cause of injustice. Protesters, especially those of color and their white supporters, have targeted both the Republican and Democratic parties, as well as the military.
The continuation of the anti-racist movement that emerged during the Trump era is accelerating the decline of the United States. According to the US Census Bureau, people of color, including blacks, Indians and Hispanics, will make up the majority of the US population by 2045, and whites will become a minority. So, in the next 25 years, the United States will change from a white-majority country to a colored-majority country. The young American population of color is generally critical of American fundamentals and does not see capitalism and liberal democracy as the proper way to manage American society. As a result, demographic change is causing a change.
It will play a significant role in politicized thinking and in the decline of the ruling regime in the United States. "Trump's actions could signal the beginning of the end of the United States," said Gen. John Allen, a former U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, acknowledging the accelerating decline in the United States.
2- Creating bipolarity in America
During the campaign, one of the hopes of Trump and US security planners was to turn the anti-injustice riots into a civil war and create a dichotomy between blacks and whites. With this trick, Trump hoped to prove himself a supporter of whites and the affluent section of society and Democrats in favor of blacks, and to be able to attract their votes, given the majority of whites. Trump's full support for the police in cracking down on protesters and bringing the military into the fray helped create the dichotomy and build the capacity for civil war. The outbreak of civil war and the deliberate insecurity of the United States by Republicans could have changed the demands of the American people and led them to vote for a party that is serious about supporting the police in securing the country.
In that case, the Republicans could have hoped to win the election by curbing the crisis. Trump's ploy to mobilize his supporters to continue the violence that will culminate in an attack on Congress has accelerated the institutionalization of bipolarity in society. Trump intends to continue this trend in the post-republican era. A trend that is causing more instability and insecurity in the United States and accelerating its decline.
3- Inability to deal with corona
Trump's inability to confront Corona and make the United States the first "coronation" country in the world was reminiscent of the defeat of a superpower that claimed to solve the world's problems. America-friendly countries, especially in Europe and Latin America, hoped to overcome this natural disaster by relying on the United States, but the US inability turned their attention to China, and soon Beijing's presence in US backyards cast doubt on its ability to govern the world.
B- External arena
1. One of the components of the American superpower was its ability to interact and cooperate with its allies in Europe. Trump's unilateral policies of humiliating Europe and imposing heavy tariffs on European goods have widened the gap between the United States and the European Union. Trump's insistence on supporting the Zionist regime with the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem, the recognition of the Golan Heights as the territory of the Israeli regime, and the grand deal of the century to annex parts of the West Bank to the occupied territories, all contrary to international standards and European positions. As a result, the strengthening of European countries' internal interactions with each other and with non-European powers and European countermeasures against Trump's policies led to a decline in American power in Europe.
2. Alignment with free trade and positive activity in the World Trade Organization is considered the second strength of American governments to maintain their hegemony; But the Trump administration entered into a full-blown economic war with its Western allies and the rest of the world, ignoring free trade laws and ignoring the interests of other nations. Trump saw the imposition of heavy import tariffs as necessary not only to weaken rival countries such as China and Russia, but also against EU member states, and pitted his former allies against him. As a result, the decline of US hegemonic power accelerated, and its failure to live up to its commitments to free trade pitted former US allies in the global capitalist system against Washington.
3. One of the components of the American superpower in the contemporary years was its authoritative presence in West Asia; But Trump's policies in support of Takfiri terrorism (ISIS) to destabilize West Asian countries, especially Syria and Iraq, and his profiteering support for the killing of the defenseless people of Yemen by the Saudi coalition, strengthened the axis and defeated US policies in West Asia. New actors such as Iran, Russia, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey in West Asia replaced the United States, and the United States and Israel became isolated in the region. The weakening of Washington's presence in West Asia is another sign of the decline of USA hegemony. Let us mention here the faithful and brave commander of Islam, Martyr Qassim Soleimani, who with his designs marked the defeat of terrorism and the isolation of the United States in West Asia.
4. These components include the Trump administration's failure in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, North Korea, Yemen, and Lebanon, as well as the isolation of the United States in international treaties such as the Paris Agreement, UNESCO, the UN Commission on Human Rights, and the nuclear deal with Iran, Also added. These failures show that America's strengths are weakening and accelerating its decline.
In sum, the opportunity created by the isolation of the United States can lead to positive interaction and the development of relations between countries as opposed to unilateralism. This means strengthening countries that oppose the polarization of the world, such as Iran, Russia, China, India, the countries of South and East Asia, Latin America and Africa, which will curb the US aggressive approach.
The last point is that accelerating the decline of the United States during the Trump era is a fact and reality. The Biden government must consider abandoning its hegemonic behavior and cooperating with the international community. Otherwise, he will accelerate the decline of the United state too.
MNA