The end of the 1980s gave rise to many thoughts about the decline of the United States of America. In 1987, Paul Kennedy’s theory of a certain inevitable ending for all great powers was often applied to the USA. Furthermore, former US Secretary of State and 1973 Nobel Prize winner, Henry Kissinger, argued that America’s Cold War success was “far more costly for the USA than it could have been.” Only about a decade later, at the end of the 1990s, however, Henry Luce’s vision of the USA as a world power experienced a sort of renaissance since 1941, when this vision first arose. Below, I would like to take a closer look at this transformation of perceptions of the United States.
In the late 1980s, “declinists” were certainly not short of incidents proving their rather pessimistic outlook on America’s future. In the process of naming some of them, I would like to start with the 1970s, where the US retreat from Vietnam, 58,000 dead American soldiers, and defeat by a Third World country portrayed a great surrender of American power to a communist country. The sentiments of grief, anger, and regret over Vietnam influenced the following years immensely and was also an incentive to a less muscular foreign policy. Furthermore, President Richard Nixon’s resignation in August 1974 due to his “abuses of governmental power” in the Watergate scandal caused a lack of confidence in American politicians and symbolized the ending of a presidency often referred to as imperial. [...]
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The late 1980s: The era of declinism
3. The 1990s: Economic recovery and the American Century
4. Assessing the potential of the United States
5. The debate on the American Empire
Research Objectives and Themes
This essay explores the transformation of perceptions regarding the global power of the United States from the late 1980s through the late 1990s. It addresses the central question of whether the narrative of American decline has been superseded by a new era of dominance, specifically examining if the United States functions as a modern form of empire.
- Analysis of the "declinist" perspective during the 1970s and 1980s.
- Evaluation of economic shifts and the recovery of the US under the Clinton administration.
- Examination of US foreign policy in the post-Cold War era.
- Discussion of structural power and the influence of American values and capitalism.
- Investigation into the imperial character of the Bush Doctrine.
Excerpt from the Book
Much like Bruce Cumings, this author would definitely see the contemporary ideas of the Bush Doctrine as “frankly imperialist”12: the doctrine’s guidelines for American foreign policy stress military pre-emption and superiority, unilateral action, and a committment to extending democracy, liberty, and security to all regions – goals of such size can only be pursued in such an insisting way by an empire. Also, given that these goals are formulated in a doctrine named after the head of state stresses the imperial character of the United States, as an empire always needs a single leader to express its tactics and strategy.
An empire has certainly to be challanged to remain an empire. One may therefore argue that conflicts like Iraq or Iran symbolize challenges that America has to overcome in order to maintain or even strengthen its imperialistic character and global dominance. All in all, the great longing for global advance of the American system, the ability and desire to use military power against emerging or established adversaries, the number of countries that have adopted American ideals, and the expression of values in a document named after a single leader (the Bush Doctrine) strongly suggest the existence of an American Empire.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the shift in discourse from the perceived decline of the US in the 1980s to the rise of the "American Century" by the end of the 1990s.
2. The late 1980s: The era of declinism: This section reviews factors contributing to the decline narrative, including the impact of the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and economic pressures from Japan.
3. The 1990s: Economic recovery and the American Century: This part details the economic resurgence during the 1990s and the successful overcoming of the "Vietnam Syndrome" through effective foreign policy.
4. Assessing the potential of the United States: This chapter analyzes structural power, highlighting that the core components of US influence remained intact despite previous doubts.
5. The debate on the American Empire: This concluding section argues that the United States acts as a liberal empire, spreading values, ideologies, and democratic structures globally.
Keywords
United States, American Century, declinism, Cold War, imperial overstretch, structural power, Bush Doctrine, foreign policy, capitalism, democracy, globalization, hegemony, military power, Vietnam Syndrome.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this essay?
The essay examines the shift in perceptions regarding the United States' global status, transitioning from a belief in its decline in the late 1980s to the assertion of a new "American Century" by the late 1990s.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Central themes include the economic shifts of the era, the validity of "imperial overstretch" theories, the role of structural power, and the debate surrounding the concept of an American Empire.
What is the primary research question?
The author seeks to identify the factors behind the transformation of American influence and addresses whether the United States should be classified as a new kind of empire.
Which methodology is applied?
The work utilizes a qualitative analysis of historical events, economic trends, and international relations theories to interpret shifts in global power dynamics.
What does the main body cover?
It covers the historical context of the 1970s and 1980s, the economic recovery under the Clinton administration, the significance of post-Cold War foreign policy, and the application of the Bush Doctrine.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include American Century, imperial overstretch, Bush Doctrine, structural power, and hegemony.
How does the author interpret the "Bush Doctrine"?
The author views the Bush Doctrine as inherently imperialist, noting its emphasis on military pre-emption, unilateral action, and the expansion of American democratic ideals.
What role does the Vietnam War play in the author's argument?
The Vietnam War is identified as a primary catalyst for the "declinist" sentiments of the 1970s and 1980s, creating a psychological barrier ("Vietnam Syndrome") in foreign policy until the 1990s.
How does the essay relate to Paul Kennedy's theories?
The author frequently references Kennedy's "imperial overstretch" theory to illustrate the challenges faced by the US, eventually concluding that its current military and structural capabilities effectively disprove these earlier warnings of decline.
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- BA Julia Christin Bauer (Autor:in), 2006, The United States of America - an Empire?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/118854
