The Decline and Fall of the American Empire: Decadence, and the American Dream

Four decades ago, following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union and other communist countries, President George H.W. Bush claimed that today’s world was the world of America’s unipolar order.

Nevertheless, it did not take long for the so-called “new world order” to fall into a dark abyss of severe economic, political, and social catastrophes.

The 2008 financial crisis and the Occupy Wall Street movement are two salient sociopolitical calamities of the United States and its Western allies. We can now state with certainty that the US-led hegemony is rapidly crumbling.

American citizens are currently grappling with economic difficulties, rising social violence, and a deepening class divide. Except for Biden and other self-deluded American officials in Washington, no one can talk about America’s good fortune. At the same time, a new international order emerges due to the evolving global order.

It would be remiss not to mention that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Imam Khamenei, has made numerous statements on America’s inevitable decline. In a similar context, he stated in 2004, at a gathering of Iranian teachers and workers, “The US has begun the process of destructing its own arrogant structure; it is unfolding very quickly, and the entire world will witness this, even though the US final crush will be accompanied by cacophony.”

In addition, in a 2018 meeting with students, Imam Khamenei stated, “When we look at the situation of the United States in a broader perspective, we see that the United States’ power and global hegemony are declining year by year, and America today is much weaker than America forty years ago when the Islamic revolution of 1979 achieved victory.” Imam Khamenei identified the signs that America is no longer the world’s dominant power:

“The domestic challenges of America are unprecedented; they encompass their financial troubles, social problems, ethical problems, bloody divisions, and international affairs.”

“These are the harbingers of global realism, with no leading role for the United States.” Even the slogans of civil liberties, racial equality, and gender equality have faded to the point that, on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Barack Obama admitted that they had not come true and lamented the decline of the ideals of capitalism and liberalism.

In this regard, it is essential to consider that the western allies of the United States have also been affected by the economic meltdown that has devastated the United States. In 2021, the US worldwide debt surpassed $300 trillion, accounting for more than 10% of the global debt. Moreover, inflation in the United States is at a 40-year high.

In his book “Our Revolution,” Bernie Sanders, an American senator and presidential candidate in 2016 and 2020, provides his readers with critical facts and information concerning America’s dire economic, political, social, and cultural predicament.

People across the globe witnessed the United States’ decades-long internal conflicts during the 2020 presidential election and the January 6 Capitol riots by Trump supporters.

The United States suffers from a broad range of cultural dilemmas, such as racism and the rampant use of firearms. In addition to its deficient insurance and medical care systems, many Americans travel to nations like Cuba and Haiti for treatment.

Indicators of the social decline of American society and government include pervasive social crime and severe crises in the foundation of families, the prevalence of drug use and homosexuality among the young generation, and severe psychological disorders among citizens.