Failed State or America Stronger? The Atlantic

Analysts question US influence and capabilities, as the Covid-19 exposes corruption, a health system struggling with preventive care and other failures. The United States, with 4 percent of the world’s population, represents about 35 percent of Covid-19 confirmed cases and more than 25 percent deaths. “Our democracy doesn’t produce fast, elegant solutions to problems, and it often fails to provide politicians who meet the moment history dispenses,” writes Kori Schake for the Atlantic. “But what it does provide is a distribution of power – across multiple levels of government and robust civil and private sectors – that corrects mistakes and limits the damage done by even the worst national leaders.” Such failures disrupt the international order yet do not supplant US dominance. Schake notes that China’s Belt and Road projects could become a burden for China, forcing debt forgiveness or hardship for nations struggling with pandemic costs. “Even transparently false statements by Trump seem to create less international suspicion than the systematic dishonesty of the Chinese leadership, because the American president is subject to independent press scrutiny, citizens can freely criticize him, and other politicians can openly campaign for his job,” she notes. Distribution of power ensures that one set of leaders cannot ruin the country, she concludes, and the US will emerge stronger as individuals and communities assess the challenges. – YaleGlobal