The history that discusses an empire in
transition, is at its best when the historians writing it, highlight both the
forces that were eroding the empire, and the attempts that were brought to bear
to save the empire.
Because journalism is the first draft of
history, the pundits (whether they are professional historians or they do
something else for a living) who write about the times in which they live, do a
valuable job when they highlight the forces that work to take down the empire
as well as those that seek to raise it back up.
We are lucky to have two pieces of work,
written a day apart, highlighting those two groups of forces, as they operate
at the same time on the United States of America, heretofore the political,
economic and military hegemon of our time. Studying the two pieces of writing
simultaneously gives a glimpse as to what future generations are likely to
think about us and our time.
David Marion wrote, “Why American exceptionalism
matters,” an article that also came under the subtitle: “How Constitution-based
politics, not raw politics, supports the interests of the larger community.” It
was published on June 30, 2020 in the Washington Times. Bear in mind that David
Marion is a professor of government and a fellow of the Wilson Center for
Leadership in the public interest.
Harold James wrote, “Late Soviet America,”
an article that was published on July 1, 2020 in the online magazine, Project
Syndicate. Bear in mind that Harold James is Professor of History and
International Affairs, and a fellow at the Center for International Governance
Innovation, as well as being a specialist on German economic history and on
globalization.
The following sums up the ideas of Harold
James:
“The Soviet Union was fertile ground for
political jokes. Trump's reaction to a book by John Bolton has followed a
similar script. Many aspects of America recall the final years of the Soviet
Union. Another parallel concerns the economy. The Soviet Union had a
resource-allocation apparatus. The US has Wall Street. It extracts value rather
than create it. The circumstances to which the dollar owes its hegemony are
changing. For three and a half years, Trump has been inviting a backlash
against weaponizing the dollar. Financial sanctions were effective, but their
deployment against Iran, Russia and China proved counterproductive. Russia,
China and Europe are developing alternative mechanisms for international
payments and settlement. With the COVID-19 crisis, the US has performed poorly.
America has become an international embarrassment. The dollar may start to look
like the old Soviet ruble. The malaise has become terminal”.
The following sums up the ideas of David
Marion:
“Alexander Hamilton was convinced that
what's happening was exceptional. He believed it would benefit the people to
know they were part of something special; the opportunity to engage in
Constitution-based politics, not raw power politics. Constitutional politics
promotes deliberation and moderation. The alternative is power politics bounded
only by the will or passions of individuals. What makes the American way
exceptional is the combination of constitutional protection, due process, equal
protection under the law, and the protection of property and contract rights.
From business leaders preoccupied with global markets to educators preoccupied
with victimhood, American exceptionalism is out of favor. As a result, the
significance of US citizenship has been rendered problematical. In keeping with
the example of Washington and Lincoln, public officials, educators, and
ministers who help shape public opinion, would do America a service by
illuminating how the people can lead consequential lives by engaging in
constitutional politics that protects and enriches the exceptional nation left
to their care”.
What Harold James is saying in essence, is
that the forces responsible for the decline of America, emanate from the fact
that the governance of the nation has become too ridiculous to be respected or
taken seriously. In addition, the economy has ceased to fulfill the needs of
the population. This is what happened in the Soviet Union, says Harold James,
before chaos ensued and the Soviet regime crashed. Because the same condition
appears to be taking shape in America, it could be heralding the country's
upcoming crash.
As to David Marion, he reminds his readers
that America is the handiwork of such people as Alexander Hamilton whose
passion was to create an exceptional nation for the ages. Marion says that the
founding fathers of America succeeded beyond anyone's dream despite the
setbacks that America has encountered during the decades. Because America is
now going through a difficult period, the way to remedy the situation, is to go
back to the basic precepts that made America exceptional in the first place,
and stick with them once again.
When you put together the ideas of the two
gentlemen, you form a picture that tells why it is nearly impossible to rescue
an empire or a regime that has run its course, and is in decline.
The arguments show that when the ruling
class loses touch with the governed, the latter question the principles upon
which the regime blossomed in the first place. When some elements of the
governed seek to tear down the regime, a large portion of the rest remain
indifferent to what’s happening.
However, those who are associated with the
ruling class and benefit from its largess, will inattentively counsel the
return to the founding principles that made the regime blossom. In so doing,
they demonstrate how oblivious they are of the fact that those principles are
the target of the people who were left behind.