Seven Weaknesses of the U.S., Donald Trump, and the Future of American Hegemony

World Futures. 2021. Vol. 77. No. 1. P. 23–54.

Гринин Л. Е., Коротаев А. В.

Over a long period, the main intrigue within the current global contradiction has been the resistance of most of the world community to the growing egoism of the USA, which is not willing to consider other countries’ interests. This has become even more evident since Donald Trump’s rise to power, as the frontline of the contradictions has expanded since the USA continues to ignore the others’ interests. Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” is direct evidence of the loss of the U.S.’s former leadership, and indicates that the situation in the world is going to heat up. Thus, it is important to consider the mater- ial basis of contemporary US power and whether it will allow America to be “great again” or not. The article analyzes seven (actual and potential) weaknesses of the USA—some of which, paradoxically, support its current power. But sooner or later these weaknesses will bring the USA to a crisis and topple it from its leading position. In the last part of the article, we show how we can speak of President Trump’s policy as an objective (though not terribly rational) reaction to changes in the World System and the weakening of the USA’s positions within it, linking his policies to the World System reconfiguration, with movement toward a new world order as a result. The novelty of the article is that the known problems of the USA are collected, systematized, their interrelations and mutual influences are shown, and forecasts made on this basis.

Ключевые слова: государственный долг, торговый баланс, геополитика, fiscal deficit, банковская система США, Donald Trump, Экономическая политика Д. Трампа, American hegemony, American egoism, commercial tariffs, crisis of the health care system, modern global contradiction, national debt, фискальный дефицит

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