Lessons of America's 'Decline'

International Journal of Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 48, No. 2, October 2011

16 Pages Posted: 5 Jun 2013

See all articles by Amitai Etzioni

Amitai Etzioni

The George Washington University

Date Written: October 1, 2010

Abstract

Pointing to the burden of coping with two lengthy wars and a rapidly mounting national debt, some have argued that the U.S. has overextended itself and is now in decline. The validity of and appropriate response to this claim must be examined on an empirical, constructive, and normative level. After outlining the viability of various predictive models, this paper concludes that while U.S. power has waned, resignation to an inevitable decline is premature. Instead, the U.S. should narrowly focus its resources on achievable security goals and avoid the costly yet historically ineffective strategy of pursuing nation-building policies.

Suggested Citation

Etzioni, Amitai, Lessons of America's 'Decline' (October 1, 2010). International Journal of Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 48, No. 2, October 2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2274341

Amitai Etzioni (Contact Author)

The George Washington University ( email )

2023 G St. NW
Room 342
Washington, DC 20052
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.icps.gwu.edu

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