Finland has bound its fate even more tightly to the empire, which shows many signs of decay, writes Mäkinen.
Joona-Hermanni Mäkinenopettaja
The United States is the undisputed superpower. The country’s military machinery is unparalleled: there are hundreds of bases around the globe and the defense budget is larger than that of the next ten largest military powers in total. International economic organizations are in the tight grip of the Americans, and the entire global unified culture is determined by Americana.
Supremacy worked unshakable for a long time. There was already talk in the West, dominated by hubris “from the end of history”. Until the world started to change again. First steadily slowly, eventually by leaps and bounds.
The most important signs point to an unstable superpower that is losing its grip.
The first big mistake the architects of the empire made was listening to Wall Street investors. Production was moved to China, as a result of which income differences grew exponentially, and own production and know-how withered away. Now for ammo cannot be produced enough even for the needs of Ukraine, not to mention orders from Israel and Taiwan.
The mistake was much the same as the British Empire did in due time with his colonies. The production was moved to a cheaper place, America, which was considered backward, where there was a huge amount of labor and raw materials. The factories made quick profits, but it wasn’t long before the colonies decided to break free from their colonial masters. The United States became independent and kept the cotton mills and know-how.
Over time, the roles changed. Nowadays, Britain follows Washington’s instructions politely.
In the United States, it is only beginning to be understood A mistake made regarding China. Biden has expanded The trade war started by Trump Against China, and domestic production has been boosted with extensive support packages.
However, these actions have been taken helplessly late. And credibility is being tested when the last half century has been criticizing and tearing down the barriers to free trade erected by others.
At the same time as Finland and Sweden bind their fate even more tightly to the United States, allies in Europe and Asia following anxiously growing threats to the American world order.
In the Global South suspicion The US-led stance against the West has been strengthening for a long time. The war in Gaza is in a short period of time increased the gap between blocks even more so – and most likely irreversibly.
And the U.S. dollars don’t seem to be enough to simultaneously maintain influence in the Middle East, direct the war in Ukraine, and wage a cold war against China. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise with the country’s administration cut and privatized over the decades. The empire’s credibility has also been eroded by its inability to react coherently to the financial crisis, the pandemic and natural disasters.
In the two-party system, identity politics is discussed, but the most important concerns of the citizens are ignored.
Within the country, there is trust in the administration at a record low and upcoming presidential elections expected mainly with feelings of dread. A quarter of Americans already supports the use of political violence, and there are enough weapons.
In the two-party system, identity politics is discussed, but the most important concerns of the citizens are ignored. The life expectancy of the world’s most prosperous country is in sharp decline and almost five years lower than in Finland.
The United States is divided economically and culturally more and more strongly in two. There are wealthy and liberal coasts, and the Old Christian states in between. However, the polarization between the parties is apparent: in the peace of the cabinets, there is a broad consensus from wars and favoring the rich and big companies. Even minor restrictions on election financing were removed more than a decade ago.
Few superpowers in history have fallen overnight. Despite the signs of decline, the United States still has undeniable advantages on its side. The geographical location between two oceans could hardly be more secure. World trade is still conducted in dollars, although the use of the Chinese yuan as a currency has become more common.
But the most important signs point to an unstable superpower that is losing its grip.
All hope is set in Finland and Europe to the recovery of the United States. It remains to be seen how soon the era of Pax Americana will come to an end – and what the United States and the world will look like after that.
Joona-Hermanni Mäkinen
The author is a teacher and non-fiction writer inspired by America’s strong tradition of free speech, enabling dissenters.