Is America On the Decline And Ceding Its Position to China in Asia?
It’s a theme I’ve grown accustomed to hearing in recent years. There’s a powerful, stubborn perception percolating through the Indo-Pacific, and the world at large, that American power and influence is one the wane. For many, the story of 21st Century geopolitics is being written by the spectacular rise of one superpower, China, and the tragic fall of another, the United States. It’s a compelling narrative but one almost completely divorced from reality.
From a snapshot, a sunset and sunrise can look virtually indistinguishable. I can’t blame America's critics for seeing what they want to see. But all the disdain and disinformation they can muster won’t dislodge the U.S. from the Indo-Pacific. Those praying for an American sunset will eventually have to come to terms with that fact that its star is still rising.
Jeff M. Smith is a Research Fellow at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC.