I disagree. US is past the high water mark which was about mid 1990s. The reduction of a superpower is not abrupt or like switching off a light. But rather like fading of light from day to night. Right now USA is in the late afternoon and the Chinese are early morning. USA can only go toward night and China only high noon. There is nothing superlative about USA. It is not end of history. Like previous empires have gone so will USA.
A superpower is not so because it says it is. It is so because other countries accept it as such. That acceptance is waning. And will wane more as China brings better options to the table then USA. However I agree USA will remain dominant with a "rump" Western sphere.
And I think USA is going to get worn out like it wore out USSR. As me move forward America will increase military expenditure to keep up with Chinese. This will over time stretch USA to the limit.
Bro,
Game is not over yet! Far from it.
Roman Empire in its heydey not only witnessed the arrival of Hannibal at the gates of Rome itself but decisive defeat of Carthage at its hands at a later stage.
US is not lacking in power and/or influence as an entity. In-fact, US has been in a much better position to project its power across the world since the fall of USSR. However, China is wise in its moves. Even though China has disputes with several of its neighbors, it has commenced OBOR as a means to establish its goodwill across the world. Conversely, China is taking advantage of miscalculations on the part of Trump administration such as scrapping the
China-containment initiative of its predecessor and the recent Jerusalem episode. Therefore, some are getting the impression that China is advancing while US is on the back-foot.
It is important to understand that US is on the back-foot on its own; Trump administration simply needs to revamp its foreign policy. Jerusalem episode was utterly unnecessary, period. However, US is unlikely to loose important allies to China over this matter.
Let us see what happens! US-led action against North Korea might completely shift the game in the Pacific for starters. And there are rumors that this might come to pass under Trump administration.
USSR fell because its economic system wasn't working and its politicians could not resist the pull off democratic reforms for long. In comparison, US is doing well in all fronts.
Of-course, no country is invincible but demise of US at this juncture is out-of-question. If a bloody civil war was not sufficient to close the chapter of US, Chinese initiatives wouldn't anytime soon.