The End of American Hegemony
Rethinking U.S. Foreign Policy Amid the Hamas Terror Attacks on Israel
The world is presently undergoing a shift toward a new multipolar arrangement, characterized by the waning influence of the United States, which was formerly a dominant force on the global stage. This shift has left no clear successor and has ushered in a period of increasing great-power competition.
Consequently, leaders in various regions around the world now feel emboldened to assert their interests more brazenly, correctly believing that the benefits of such actions may outweigh the drawbacks. These leaders are confident in their ability to exert greater influence in their respective geographic areas and do not fear the United States quite as much as they once did.
How did this decline come to be after the U.S. emerged as the lone Superpower following the fall of the Berlin Wall? The answers are long and complex, but there are four areas that stand out.
Both American political parties, driven by an insatiable desire for affordable consumer goods and an ever-expanding GDP, believed that an economically thriving China would integrate the country into the global community. However, this approach inadvertently contributed to the rise of a significant geopolitical competitor due to flawed U.S. trade policies, which weakened America’s industrial base while fueling China’s expansion and territorial ambitions, specifically toward Taiwan.
Over two decades, the United States engaged in costly wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and destabilized many Middle Eastern countries in the process. The Iraq war was a discretionary conflict based on false premises, which subsequently damaged U.S. credibility abroad and at home. The war in Afghanistan was prolonged without clear victory conditions, culminating in a humiliating American withdrawal and a parting gift of $7 billion in weaponry to the Taliban.
The U.S. desire to expand NATO across all of Eastern Europe, right up to Russia’s doorstep, was a major factor in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has since caused the U.S. to deplete major stockpiles of weapons as they prop up Ukraine’s military and government, showing that America’s military-industrial base is a shell of its former self. (Pun not intended)
The Iranian Regime has been emboldened to flex its influence under both the Obama and Biden Administrations. Whether through influxes of $400M in cash, the unfreezing $6 billion in funds, the lax enforcement of U.S. oil sanctions, or restrained responses to attacks on U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq by Iranian proxies, Iran has been unquestionably emboldened.
Which leads us to Hamas and the attack on Israel.
Israel's security cabinet has formally declared war after an unprecedented and horrific attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel. Amid the fighting and indiscriminate raping and killing of civilians, many of which were documented on social media, Hamas combatants also took women, children, and the elderly as hostages.
Thus far, this attack has resulted in the loss of over 1,400 Israeli lives.
Israel has since responded militarily, striking targets in Gaza, killing at least 3,700, including 1,500 children, and this conflict is only just getting started.
What's happening in Israel and Gaza is heartbreaking. The civilian deaths I've seen are horrific and make me sick. Given the scale of death from this attack, Israel has the absolute right and moral responsibility to do what it must to protect itself and avenge these deaths. Any sovereign nation that did not respond with overwhelming force to an attack of this magnitude would lose legitimacy in the eyes of its citizens and invite more attacks.
That said, it's also important to understand that, as with the situation the U.S. finds itself in with China, Russia, and Iran, this latest conflict between Israel and an apparently Iranian-backed Hamas, while horrific, did not occur in a vacuum as
has documented on his Substack. While the history in this region is complex and worth discussing, a thorough analysis of all things pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the main thrust of this essay.Instead, I want to focus specifically on this latest attack and its implications for the United States, which, as an American, is my primary concern.
I can greatly sympathize with Israel and still look out for my own country's best interests. You'd think this concept would be easy for American leadership to grasp. Yet, the warmongering faction of the Republican Party wasted no time in linking this attack on Israel to an attack on America while stating that the United States needs to lead the global World Order once again.
Needless to say, this kind of talk is insane. America cannot, and should not, inject itself into every regional and ethnic conflict, especially a new war in the Middle East.
Why? Because the U.S. is no longer the dominant geopolitical force it once was and cannot afford to be the World’s Police force.
In fact, it never could.
Many who advocate for U.S. involvement in this war will point to the fact that at least 22 Americans have been killed by Hamas, and perhaps others have been taken hostage. These numbers may even continue to grow. The U.S. must navigate this situation using statecraft, engaging with all the countries in that region to free American hostages instead of using military means, as the United States must resist the urge to turn this atrocity into another sinking of the RMS Lusitania moment, which killed 128 Americans and ultimately led to the U.S. entering World War I, leading to the deaths of over 116,000 Americans.
Side note: America’s entry into WWI was a terrible mistake. More on that in a future essay.
Given today’s multipolar world, the U.S., while expressing solidarity with allies such as Israel, must now exercise restraint and prioritize our national interests or risk further depleting the United States of both blood and treasure. You'd think 20+ years of costly (failed) wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would have taught America this lesson, but sadly, they have not.
Case in point, the Pentagon announced it was sending additional munitions to Israel and moving a Carrier Strike Group closer to the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea in a show of support for Israel. As we’ve seen recently in the Black Sea, warships are vulnerable to sea drone attacks, and Iran has manufactured and deployed military drones capable of suicide bombings, surveillance, intelligence, and combat. If Hamas has any of these weapons, U.S. ships could be vulnerable to deliberate or accidental attacks while operating in this hostile environment.
And not to be conspiratorial, but we certainly don’t need another Gulf of Tonkin incident to drag us into another long and protracted bloody war.
The reality is, contrary to the renewed calls for another round of “Team America: World Police,” the United States doesn’t have the capacity or capability to fight and win one major war, let alone a three-front war with Russia, Iran, and China, even if we wanted to.
As it stands now, the U.S. cannot make enough munitions to keep up with Ukraine’s demand. Additionally, Taiwan is still waiting for the delivery of purchased weapon systems, which have been delayed due to government red tape, supply chain issues, and production shortfalls.
As for the American Navy, the U.S. surface fleet is aging and is having a difficult time keeping its ships in working order. What about building new ships? Sadly, U.S. shipyards aren’t even able to build two destroyers per year, while overall, the United States cannot keep up with China's incredible pace of shipbuilding.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you of the perilous state of the American military, the 2018 bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission concluded that the United States “might struggle to win, or perhaps lose” a war against either Russia or China while suffering “unacceptably high casualties” in the process."
Accepting that the United States cannot be everywhere at all times, both militarily and diplomatically, means that we, as Americans, must accept that the world will become a much more chaotic and violent place.
While economic sanctions are a weapon that can be wielded against rogue regimes, it’s important to remember that sanctions are still weapons, and as such, they put the United States in economic conflict with other nations, which can also lead to outright war.
One only needs to look back to what happened after the U.S. established an embargo on oil and gasoline exports to Imperial Japan in 1941.
All that being said, perhaps the United States can look to two former Presidents for guidance.
It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."
-George Washington (Farewell Address, 1796)
While these are wise words from Washington, the next quote from John Quincy Adams perfectly sums up an “America First” foreign policy.
Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.
But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.
She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.
She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.
-John Quincy Adams, July 4, 1821
In practice, this means avoiding regional conflicts worldwide while reindustrializing economically and strengthening our military. This course of action should be a priority instead of funneling weapons and money to countries like Ukraine, Taiwan, and, yes, even Israel.
Our primary concern should be getting back to basics, addressing many of the domestic challenges that face our nation, such as declining birth rates, a failing education system, the opioid epidemic, deaths of despair, skyrocketing national debt, and finally, and perhaps most importantly, securing America’s sovereignty, which is directly tied to our southern border.
Without a clearly defined and defended border, no nation will survive long term.
In light of the recent attacks in Israel, it is crucial to address the fact that there are individuals entering our country who most likely pose a significant national security risk. We must recognize the potential presence of foreign actors already within the United States, as demonstrated by the record-breaking interception of 160 individuals on the terror watch list attempting illegal entry through our southern border this fiscal year.
We recently learned that The Biden administration’s now-suspended Iran envoy, Robert Malley, helped to fund, support, and direct an Iranian intelligence operation designed to influence the United States and allied governments. Now imagine how many potential terrorists and foreign intelligence assets we haven't stopped, given our never-ending quest to bring multiculturalism to every corner of the United States.
"Diversity" cannot come at the expense of our security. We must be vigilant in protecting our borders and ensuring the safety of our citizens.
Speaking of “diversity”….
Yes, that’s a real picture from a Pro-Palestinian rally Sunday in Times Square endorsed by the city chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
This scene played out all over the Western World, with people celebrating the horrific slaughter of innocent civilians. Any diversity that includes the continual mass importation of people with these ideological mindsets cannot be considered part of a nation's strength and will only further undermine and weaken national cohesion across the West.
The end of history and a new beginning.
Nations have always acted in self-interest; however, the U.S. has suppressed much of this global ambition after winning the Cold War and asserting itself as the lone superpower. It then accelerated its dominance post 9/11 with its "you're either with us or against us" foreign policy doctrine while giving birth to the woke cultural revolution currently spreading across the world.
But Francis Fukuyama's claim that we have reached "The End of History" again proves to be a fallacy, as U.S. global supremacy is coming to an abrupt end. America must now recognize that it has domestic priorities that have been ignored for far too long, namely strengthening American families, communities, and industry.
Sadly, too many people within the halls of American power feel that domestic priorities need to play second fiddle to the ambitions of empire; that is, unless the U.S. Regime is worried about its domestic political opposition, then the FBI will focus intensely on solving that domestic "problem."
It’s long overdue for the United States to reevaluate its foreign policy and embrace a path of prudent isolationism, rearmament, and reindustrialization, including an economic decoupling from China. We should prioritize our national interests, respect the sovereignty of other nations, exercise restraint from involving ourselves in ethnic conflicts, and stop trying to use NATO as a tool for wielding American power.
The notion that every regional conflict around the world concerns the United States must be dispelled. America must now focus inward. By doing so, perhaps we can navigate the changing global landscape with a modicum of wisdom instead of brash overconfidence, the latter of which will ultimately spell disaster for our nation.