Perhaps so. And yet a couple decades ago when the war against Iraq turned into a quagmire, many political pundits also marked that as the end of the American Empire. And yet today the USA remains the sole globally dominant superpower. Our time will end eventually but we should be skeptical of any predictions on timing.

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SchemaLoad 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

You seem to have missed since then the massive transformation of China.

	▲	nradov 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Nah, I haven't missed anything. China has accomplished amazing things but they still have virtually zero capability to project power beyond the first island chain. Maybe in a few years that will change but not today.

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jmyeet 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Empires don't die overnight, generally. Empires die slowly, violently.

We spent an estimated $8 trillion on so-called "War on Terror". The Taliban were in charge of Afghanistan before we started. They're in charge now. For $8T. 1% of that would end homelessness. 1% of that annually would be free college. I would mention universal healthcare but that would actually save money vs what we now spend so I'm not sure how you count that.

The kind of transformation China has seen in recent decades is what you're talking about with $8 trillion.

A despite the 20 year quagmire that was Iraq and Afghanistan, IMHO this war on Iran is an even bigger geopolitical clown show and will be more consequential to the end of American Empire.

	▲	nradov an hour ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Yes, the GWOT was mostly a waste of lives and money. And yet despite that handicap the USA continued to power ahead. Our productivity, innovation, and geography have allowed us to remain dominant. Meanwhile most other countries have failed to adopt policies that would make them more competitive.
	▲	bdangubic 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		For the common man, this is all true. For the people “running the show” it was probably money well spent. The “War on Terror” brought not just erosion but full-on assault on people’s rights and privacy. It is perfectly acceptable by just about every American to have their junks touched and toothpaste confiscated to board the airplane to fly 80 miles from say DC to Richmond. Everyone is tame now, accepting whatever this new reality is that everyone lives in. There is military on the streets of DC, masked agents running around the country and myriad of other bullshits our grandparents would be rolling in their graves if they knew…