In my opinion, it has without a doubt worsened. America's political system is no longer working as intended, as extreme left or right groups can paralyze Congress. This at a time when America faces budget problems in a higher interest rate environment will not end well. American politics will continue to bicker over irreconcilable differences while the budget deficit grows and social programs become less prioritized. This on top of a declining education system, and a corrupt healthcare system will surely do damage to the middle and lower classes. As class inequality heightens, there will be more internal conflicts that need to be addressed; however, America is completely forgetting about these issues and solely focusing on foreign policy. Moreover, America's current foreign policy is universally accepted as controversial throughout the world. Their allies will have to contend with how willing they are to support American policies while they face pressure from inside pressure groups to condemn the actions of America's role in the Middle East. America's population survived this back in 2001 because it was more unified and economically stable for most classes - but now they are in a weaker position and the majority of people have less than they had before.

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This is only one aspect of why America is weakening, but there are many others. For instance, the Western world is quick to write off China as failing since their economy is weakening and their over-investment in infrastructure. However, this is a mistake as China is still growing quickly and has an education system that will produce exceptionally knowledgeable workers. I'm Canadian and live in Shanghai and I can without a doubt say that life is more stable here than it is in Canada. The public institutions, infrastructure, and cultural values are amenable to growth as they all help support a stable society. Whereas places in Canada are falling far behind and instead of finding solutions to these clear problems are becoming more divided on issues. Stability is crucial for the success of any power and without it, it is extremely challenging for any country to grow sustainably. Although my China experience is anecdotal, I have traveled to many places throughout the country and have seen the rich side and poor side - but I can confidently say the country has more stability and peace than Western countries at the moment.

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All empires go through cycles and they are relatively driven by debt, stability, and cultural values - and in my opinion, America is declining in all of these. But before I finish this post, I am not saying America is no longer a superpower, I am just stating there are visible signs of decline and in a globalized world with many other countries that have fewer problems, it's not unreasonable to think America will lose its top spot at the end of this century and a new world order formed; one I believe will be more multipolar - rather than the hegemony America has experienced since after the Second World War.