Power and Willpower in the American Future: Why the United States Is Not Destined to Decline

by Robert J. Lieber

To argue against the widely proclaimed idea of American decline, as this book does, might seem a lonely task. After all, the problems are real and serious. Yet if we take a longer view, much of the discourse about decline appears exaggerated, hyperbolic, and ahistorical. Why? First, because of the deep underlying strengths of the United States. These include not only size, population, demography, and resources, but also the scale and importance of its economy and financial markets, its scientific research and technology, its competitiveness, its military power, and its attractiveness to talented immigrants. Second, there is the weight of history and of American exceptionalism. Throughout its history, the United States has repeatedly faced and eventually overcome daunting challenges and crises. Contrary to a prevailing pessimism, there is nothing inevitable about American decline. Flexibility, adaptability, and the capacity for course correction provide the United States with a unique resilience that has proved invaluable in the past and will do so in the future. Ultimately, the ability to avoid serious decline is less a question of material factors than of policy, leadership, and political will.

Genres: American, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2012

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

America, like Rome and Great Britain before it, is destined for decline. At least that's what many newscasters, academics, and public intellectuals would have you believe. Robert Lieber, on the other hand, argues in this book that the case is not so clear-cut. He acknowledges the vast challenges that the U.S. is facing--both domestic and internationally--but points to the American tradition of triumph in times of hardship as an important factor that must be taken into account in any attempt to predict the nation's future trajectory.

This book makes a number of interesting points:

1. The most important factor in deciding whether America has the ability to remain the dominant world power is not material resources, but will and willpower. Though the material constraints are real, the more important issue is the strength of the traditional American ideology and popular support of the citizenry for America's role as a global power. This support remains high despite polarization among politicians, rising concern about domestic issues, questions about America's growing debt, and other challenges.

2. The potential decline of American power does not herald the rise of a multipolar world of international cooperation. Experience has shown that international organizations are unable to organize resources to effectively address global problems (ethnic cleansing, epidemics, failed states, etc.) and that other powers are unwilling or hesitant to do so. Lieber predicts that in a scenario of such a decline many states would become more self-interested rather than working together to address international issues.

3. The military budget cuts taking place among traditional American allies (many West European nations) makes them unable to contribute more than a token force to any international conflicts. This, in turn, makes the U.S. increasingly responsible for providing the bulk of resources in any military campaign, as was in the ostensibly NATO-led campaign against Qaddafi in 2011, where such cuts made the alliance rely predominantly on American supplies, intelligence, and air support. As a result, the U.S. is increasingly unable to share the burden of protecting the liberal world order and carries a disproportionate responsibility, despite increasing calls for the sanctioning of the use of force by international bodies like the U.N.

These are merely a handful of the points made by Dr. Lieber. Power and Willpower provides food for thought for anyone interested in America's future role in the world, explains why the maintenance of American power is important not only for the U.S., but also the world at large, and warns that those who clamor for multipolarity on the international stage may not truly understand the likely realities of a post-American world.