The U.S.: Shedding Hegemony with Grace
From: Carnegie Council
Series: Global Ethics Corner
Length: 02:15
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Created and managed by Carnegie Council Senior Program Director and Senior Fellow William Vocke, Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 90-second segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues.
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Piece Description
Created and managed by Carnegie Council Senior Program Director and Senior Fellow William Vocke, Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 90-second segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues.
Transcript
Should the U.S. shed some global ambitions and responsibilities?
Voluntarily retreating from global leadership is unheard of. Falling from global preeminence is hard! Few manage decline with grace. Great states dissolve under the weight of military or economic defeat.
The Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Chinese, Russian, and German empires died by 1919 through war and revolution. After WWII even the victors fell. France chose regional engagement, cultural assertion, and the EU. Britain relied on a special relationship with the U.S. In 1991, the Soviet Union imploded and Russia struggles with the aftermath.
Similarly, has the U.S. become a decadent hegemon ripe for a fall?
There are huge budget deficits, disemboweled manufacturing sectors, gigantic trade imbalances, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, global military commitments, and injured financial services industries. All signs of decline....
Read the full transcript
Additional Credits
William Vocke- Producer, Program Director, Writer and Voice Talent
Deborah Carroll- Production Manager
Robert Smithline- Editor
Terence Hurley- Editor
Ina Pira- Media Coordinator
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