I’m

thinking that we are living in the decline of America as a world empire. We have grown up knowing its place in the world order. Americans have always thought of the United States of America as the most powerful country in the world and at one time it was absolute. The United States remains the world’s only superpower, despite today’s geopolitical friction. It is by far the leader when the three defining features of a superpower are tallied up: that’s a nation’s economic wealth, ‘hard’ military assets, and ‘soft’ power – in terms of cultural exchanges, diplomacy, or the dissemination of ideas. Countries in rank order 1 through 10

1. United States Of America. US Military has the biggest defense budget in the world. ...

2. Russia. Russia is the second most powerful military country. ...

3. China. ...

4. India. ...

5. Japan. ...

6. South Korea.

So, we still utter those words comfortably but those countries that were once underdeveloped have grown over time and evolved to be second and third-tier power brokers. Those like Middle Eastern countries, and some African countries like Nigeria provide most of the world’s oil, while others supply a large number of natural resources, including diamonds, sugar, salt, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum, and cocoa beans, but also tropical timber and tropical fruit.

The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world for the past three years left a carnage of tragic consequences, it exposed the cracks in many countries’ education and healthcare systems. Leaving us to recognize America’s stronghold and the work other counties have to improve upon. Despite the context of soft and hard power that defines one country’s position in the world, there is also the subjectivity of archaeologists that list characteristics that signal the decline of civilizations, including disruption to trade routes, shifts in supply and demand, disease, environmental degradation, and extreme political dysfunction which puts us in the world eco-system that can destroy great and powerful empires like Egypt or the Great Hittite Empires, which brings us to:

There’s never a shortage of people claiming that our world is about to end, warning of economic, social, and environmental collapse. Historically, the reality is that it happens. We have the Roman Empire --once considered the greatest empire ever, which fell from grace as the most powerful military force in the world, as well as the great Hittite, Mayan, and Egyptian empires which all fell.

Not ignoring the clear and pragmatic message regarding nature’s role in the destruction of great civilizations, however, there are other signs like a clear breakdown in the pillars that

Kai EL’ Zabar Editor-in-Chief

are the glue to modern society like the social graces of being polite, respecting others no matter their differences, adhering to the social and political rules, obeying laws, respecting one’s person, following decorum, and falling in line with what’s politically correct. It doesn’t require you to accept or believe in another’s cultural beliefs. It is a way of communicating and co-existing in a culture that is multigenerational, ethnic, racial, religious, gender-conscious, representative of different wealth levels, education and intellect differences, perspectives, and partisan views.

We see the descent in our norms like mass shootings every day that take the lives of innocent men, women, and children in America where freedoms yearned by so many oppressed peoples in other counties are touted. Police brutality by those who are purportedly here to ‘serve and protect’ the people and yet, we witness the personal bias and bigotry safely rooted in systemic racism, that instead protects those who do harm under the sacred badge. We experience the breakdown daily of our once great liberal arts public education system, now in shambles and in shackles by a predatory business community. We recognize the shift from religious faith to the worldly seduction of one’s morals. The conflict between women and men that was once worked out amongst the two, is now decided in the court of public opinion. The once highly regarded Supreme Court has been brought down by the justices’ involvement in activities that more than border on corruption. Too few politicians are interested in the good of the people but more concerned about their personal social aspirations and are willing to destroy the American democratic process and bring down the country. We have witnessed the attempted coup of an authoritarian past President who refused the peaceful transfer of power, causing grave damage to the American democratic fabric. We have seen the attack on government congressional leaders, and Governors, etc.; their husbands and wives, the attempted assassination of Vice President Pence, House Speaker Pelosi; and a domestic terror plot to kidnap American politician Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan and using violence overtly; we’ve noted the flat out refusal to lift a hand to stop the increase and misuse of gun sales that supply the murders with their tools; we observe politicians following the footsteps of a twice impeached past president telling lie after lie to the people.

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