After the end of the Cold War, the United States began to dominate the world as the sole superpower. Over the past 35 years, the Americans, maintaining this singularity, have tried to punish their enemies and the countries they declared as enemies by invading them. For this purpose, they occupied Afghanistan and Iraq, which had no connection to the 9/11 attacks. Allies also did not withhold their support from the U.S. in these occupations.
Americans, who consider it their duty to attack countries they have labeled as enemies—even those that are close allies like Israel—and try to legitimize it with excuses such as democracy and human rights, most recently attacked Iran together with Israel on February 28. More than two months have passed. The Israel‑U.S. duo, which killed all Iranian leaders on the first day with Iran’s initial naïveté, still have not achieved their goals. No regime has collapsed, no country has been occupied, Iran’s nuclear program has not been destroyed, and the Iranian army has not been neutralized. Moreover, Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has plunged the whole world into an economic crisis.
In short, Iran is a big bite for the U.S. and Israel, and they could not swallow it. Although Trump repeatedly proclaimed victories, there is no real victory. If the allies had supported America, the outcome might have been different, but the allies declared they would not do anything for the U.S. by refusing to enter a war that the U.S. itself does not even have. Moreover, the U.S. was planning to occupy Greenland, NATO territory, just a few months ago.
The United States’ failure naturally opens its super‑power status to debate. Five years ago, while writing an academic paper on whether the U.S. is still a superpower, I observed that despite being the world’s most powerful country in many areas, the U.S. does not possess the power to control the entire world. For example, 24 % of global GDP belongs to the United States. With that share, it is impossible to dominate the remaining 76 % of the world. Militarily, the U.S. is the strongest country, but even in this field the days of policing the world are far behind.
However, while writing the paper I concluded that the U.S. remains a superpower thanks to its allies. Especially because many European states, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and numerous European allies accept U.S. leadership, America’s super‑power status continued.
The tide has turned, and now the United States is led by Donald Trump, a leader whose actions are uncertain even in his own country, whose statecraft is debated, and who does not hesitate to target his own allies. In the Iran war, Trump entered the conflict without any ally’s approval, simply because Israel wanted it. Even though he eyed Greenland and threatened to withdraw from NATO, he still expected support from allies. Yet his allies, not being as reckless, did not join a war that the U.S. itself had not started, leaving the U.S. (and Israel) alone.
Today, Israel is the United States’ closest ally. You will not see Israel suffering the insults Trump directed at Europeans. Conversely, Israel’s closest ally is not the United States. In other words, Israel will not go to war for the U.S.; they see the U.S. as a country whose resources will be exploited. Unfortunately, this is the painful truth many know but dare not say about U.S.–Israel relations.
As a result, the United States is more alone than ever, which provides a good opportunity to test its power. The Iran war became an example serving exactly this purpose. It is evident that the U.S. cannot maintain hegemony alone. Perhaps it could win a one‑on‑one war against Iran or another country, but the price would be heavy. Therefore, if it does not engage in an existential war, every war it joins will take pieces from its existence and further weaken it.
It is also necessary to emphasize the clumsiness of the American army. Americans are truly ahead in internet technology, which helps keep their economy strong. However, they struggle to keep up with changes in the weapons industry. While Iran managed to push away massive aircraft carriers with a few thousand‑dollar kamikaze drones and, according to claims, shot down an F‑35 with a lower‑technology air‑defense system, battlefields are filling with smaller, more effective weapons, yet the U.S. still relies on large‑scale armaments. Consequently, some of its assets have been destroyed or forced to withdraw from the region. If this trend continues, the United States’ biggest asset will be its nuclear weapons, whose production becomes easier over time. Thus, American hegemony in weaponry is rapidly declining.
The only viable path for the U.S. seems to be getting along well with its allies. By “ally” we mean long‑standing friends who share the same goals, not malicious countries like Israel that use the U.S. for their own wars. The Trump administration distances these friends from America by favoring Israel. If this persistence continues, Iran will face many more defeats. In that case, the U.S. will not be able to confront emerging super‑power candidates like China, because it will already be engaged in a losing struggle or war.
Moreover, as long as the Trump administration governs, it is unlikely that Washington will abandon its current policies for a more rational foreign policy. Since American voters elected Trump, Americans themselves need to do a reckoning for their country and elect leaders who truly believe in the “America First” motto and think more sensibly. Otherwise, even if they do not realize it, their country is sliding downhill rapidly, piloted by malicious co‑pilots.
If this continues, the American era will end much earlier. Assuming the U.S. emerged as a superpower in 1945, its hegemony would not even last a hundred years. No hegemon lends its power to another country for free, alienates its friends, conducts arbitrary invasions, or hands state power to leaders who are blackmailed, have a dark past, and are incompetent.
