America’s Decline Looms. A Renewal Is Doubtful.
When Britain entered a slump in the 19th century, the Victorians reformed and had another good run. The US may be too polarized to do the same.
Mind the descent.
Photographer: Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images
It’s a question that has kept wonks and pols busy for years: Can America remain the world’s mightiest power, the better to defend its own interests as well as international order? Or is the US in the early stages of secular decline? The sight of Marine One soaring over my head toward the White House the other day was a useful reminder that it all depends on your point of view.
Marine One is the iconic green-white helicopter that transports American presidents. Few images project “superpower” better than POTUS alighting from his chopper on the South Lawn to the salute of a strapping blue-clad Marine. Less photogenically, though, the passengers of late — both Joe Biden and his predecessor and possible successor, Donald Trump — make this superpower look like a gerontocracy. Even those helicopters are past their prime, having been in use since 1975. Their maker, Lockheed Martin Corp., has been trying to replace them with modern craft but keeps hitting snags; a new model recently scorched the South Lawn so badly, it was demoted again for duty on asphalt landings, to be used by support staff only.