The Decline of the American World Order

It is not the fall of America but the fall of the West, led by America, which contributes towards the decline of American hegemony and its world order. Their current military and economic state permits their hard power to be unchallenged. America overtook Britain as the leading producers of the world’s wealth in 1876 and now rests on a GDP of 16 trillion dollars. At the same time it acts as the world’s leader for Foreign Direct Investment [FDI] at 180 billion dollars, twice that of its nearest competitors. With 4,600 nuclear warheads available for distribution, another 2,700 in storage and spending a massive 560 billion a year on defence, America consequently owns the world’s most powerful military. As much as America succeeds in being the dominant player in terms of hard power, superior military and economic power does not necessarily translate to geopolitical influence. Cultural influence or as IR Scholar Joseph Nye states ‘soft power’ has become more effective than hard power and therefore capturing the hearts and minds of people, especially the youth is vital in obtaining global influence. This is usually achieved by the appeal of a state’s culture, political ideals and policies making it more endurable and sustainable. This article will firstly look at the Bush Administration and how their actions unearthed anti-Americanism globally. Anti- declinist’s refuse to acknowledge the fall of Americanism and therefore finally, before concluding, this chapter will dispute their claims. The unipolar world is coming to an end, not only because of the loss of legitimacy and global consensus of the American foreign policy, but also due to the rise of complex interdependence between an eclectic mixes of states.

Anti-Americanism, at its peak, was generated under the Bush administration. This is vital to the decline of American hegemony as “the history of the rise and fall of Empires teaches us that it is when their own citizens finally lose faith in the virtue of infinite war and permanent occupations that the system enters into retreat”. The aggression in Afghanistan and Iraq was deemed to signify an imperial overstretch, resulting in the end of the unipolar movement. Empires in their weakening years engage in overstretching actions as evident in imperial Spain and the British Empire. After the attacks of 9/11 the Bush Administration readied itself for the War in Afghanistan, whereby Dick Cheney, security of defence, claimed that there was no alternative but to over throw Saddam’s regime before the Weapons of Mass Destruction [WMD] were to be used against America. However when American intelligence failed to find any WMD in Afghanistan, the legitimacy of the operation waned. This is because it gives the sense that the Bush Administration may have gone to War in Afghanistan with ulterior motives, for example an attempt to expand American imperialism. The causes of the rise in anti-American sentiment after the global 'War on Terror' can be seen in two different ways, firstly, the resentment towards America for their choice to act illegitimately in Iraq and secondly the choice to act aggressively. This section of this chapter will look into both and explore how each action by the Bush Administration led to the growth Anti-Americanism.

The faith in America’s unilateralism declined when the US undermined global institutions by disregarding the United Nations [UN]. The very existence of the institution was to provide world stability by legitimizing policies and operations. America’s choice to act without the permission of the multinational institution suggests that the Bush Administration believed they had the abilities to create their own agenda, ignoring international law. Dick Cheney emerged as the most baying advocate of war, who supported the intelligence provided by Ahmed Chalabi exile group. The group claimed that Saddam Hussein was in possession of WMD. The Defence Intelligence Agency [DIA] however was sceptical of these sources, yet Cheney chose to brush them aside. Madeline Albright, the United States Secretary of State, stated that the United States will act multilaterally where they can, yet unilaterally as they must. The United States believed that they did not need international approval to defend itself. This theory is strengthened more so with Bush's statement “At some point we may be the only ones left. That’s okay with me. We are America”. Representatives of America seem to think they have priority and the prerogative to do as they see fit. The choice to act unilaterally, and the lack of remorse has brought forward the disintegration of American hegemony as other states and emerging powers visualized America as a state who would act for the benefit of itself rather than the greater good. Europeans no longer desired American global presence after the invasion of Afghanistan. In third world countries such as Indonesia, favourable views towards America fell by 75%. The trilateral system between North America, Europe and Japan is another agreement that proves the illegitimacy of the Bush Administration actions. The founding declaration states that in order to effectively meet common problems, Japan, Western Europe and North America must consult on a basis of equality and refrain from unilateral actions that take advantage of existing international and regional organization. The disregarding of the United Nations, implemented the end of the American sentiment in not only global public opinion, but also in political actors of Nation states.

However, part of the American unilateralism demise is based on their ignorance. Many American’s do not see their legacy as an empire and are therefore incapable of understanding the effect of their foreign policies and how it is deemed illegitimate. Irving Kristol (1997) wrote “the American people are going to awaken to the fact that we have become an imperial nation” suggesting that the people of America are ignorant to the impact of the US’s intervention and the effect of globalisation on the Arab and Islamic worlds. This is also evident after the attacks of 9/11 whereby Bush deemed the hatred towards the west was because “they hate us for our freedoms”. The justification of their actions and their interpretation of the events symbolises Bush’s blindness, becoming hypocritical on his own terms. The Bush administration envisioned a democratic Iraq being the cornerstone of a democratic middle east. However by forcing democracy and freedom upon the Middle East, the Bush Administration has deprived many from the very core fundamental rights that they advocated. 

In a world, where the growth of democracy is predominant, Bush’s foreign policy has led many to reconsider the United States’ role in global politics. The rise of Anti-Americanism is vital in the decline of America’s world order as it equates to the decline of their spheres of influence. The very first sign of revolt against the western interventionism can be seen on 15th February 2003. It is estimated that at least 11 million people in 27 different countries demonstrated against George W. Bush’s desire to pursue his imperial war and bomb Iraq. In London alone, 1.5 million people contributed towards the largest demonstration in the history of man. The global contribution against the Bush Administration’s foreign policy endorses a mutual sentiment towards the United States. It is the spread of democracy and ideology of human rights, embedded in western culture, that have in turn led to the West’s demise. Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke out “We are members of one family…the human family…President Bush, listen to the voice of the people”. America’s refusal to listen to the global resistances creates a contradiction towards the foundation of their ideology. The world has lost faith in American intervention.