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American decline and world disorder

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Oswald Spenglers Kulturmorphologie

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The latent and actual power that the United States has enjoyed in the international states system since Woodrow Wilson while exceptional, does not confer upon it, of course, immunity to the historical process of decline that befalls the major powers in world history. The adverse impact of the Great Recession of 2008 and the twin quagmires of Iraq and Afghanistan, coupled with the impressive rise of China, have sparked a renewed debate in recent years about American decline. This essay contributes to this debate.

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Farrenkopf, J. (2018). American decline and world disorder. In: Fink, S., Rollinger, R. (eds) Oswald Spenglers Kulturmorphologie. Universal- und kulturhistorische Studien. Studies in Universal and Cultural History. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-14041-0_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-14041-0_14

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