Friends,
Empires do not collapse overnight; they unravel in slow motion. For decades, the United States has projected an image of absolute global dominance, but beneath the surface of endless military spending, the foundations of the American Century are cracking.
Historian Alfred McCoy, in his landmark work To Govern the Globe: World Orders and Catastrophic Change, maps out this exact trajectory. McCoy argues that global orders are bound to the energy systems and economic architectures of their time. Historically, as superpowers overextend their militaries through costly foreign misadventures while falling behind in internal economic innovation, their global grip inevitably slips. From imperial Spain to Great Britain, the pattern is clear: military hubris combined with resource dependence triggers a slow, irreversible decline.
The United States is currently repeating this history. We have spent trillions of dollars financing perpetual wars in the Middle East, tied down by an unhealthy dependence on foreign oil and the entrenched influence of foreign policy hawks and the Israel lobby. This endless cycle of overseas intervention drains our national wealth while leaving working Americans to face economic precarity, decaying infrastructure, and the accelerating threat of climate change.
If we are to break this cycle of imperial decay, we must pivot from maintaining an unsustainable global empire to investing directly in our own people and planet. The answer lies in a historic Green Marshall Plan paired with a Universal Basic Income (UBI).
A Green Marshall Plan would mobilize industrial production to rapidly build clean, domestic energy infrastructure. By transitioning away from fossil fuels, we permanently sever our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, stripping away the primary rationale for military intervention in the region. Ditching the oil economy breaks the hold of foreign lobbies and defense contractors who profit from endless conflict, finally allowing us to shut down open-ended military deployments.
Simultaneously, funding a direct Freedom Dividend of $1,300 per month for working Americans would fundamentally restore economic stability at home. Rather than pouring tax dollars into overseas airbases or weapons systems, a UBI places capital directly into the hands of households, empowering families to pay rent, afford healthcare, and invest in local businesses.
The decline of the American empire is only a tragedy if we allow our resources to be consumed by the ghost of past dominance. By ending perpetual war, investing in green technology, and establishing a robust floor of economic dignity for every citizen, we can transition from a fading empire into a resilient, self-sustaining democracy.
In Solodarity,
Gamy Enriquez, MPA
