Superpowers all have their limits, but never has one been as lucky as the United States. There hasn’t been a society in modern history as wealthy, innovative and with a civically strong culture as America, and only hubris can cause a superpower like it to fall.

On Feb. 28, the American military launched strikes intended to overthrow the Iranian regime. The government of Iran, instead, has shown the limits of American power on the global stage. The conflict in the Persian Gulf will mark the end of the American’s status as the world’s sole superpower. 

American power aims to replace war with free trade, diplomacy and networks of military alliances. Since the fall of communism, American power has overseen rapid global economic expansion, billions of dollars of aid to developing countries and the most stable era in human history. 

One responsibility of the American military, especially the Navy, is to be the guardian of global trade. Aircraft carriers ensure the free flow of goods by keeping choke points open, fighting piracy and protecting freedom of the seas.

By protecting the seas, the American military has provided the greatest weapon for development: stability. With the ability to access energy and goods without worries, governments and investors can plan for the future with ease. No longer limited by the resources within one’s borders, the ability for nations to develop increases. 

But this whole system is built on the trust that our government can hold up its promise to the global community, that our military will react to aggression against our allies, can protect the global trade routes and won’t make impulsive interventions. 

Even if the Strait of Hormuz opened tomorrow or closed for a couple of years, this administration has permanently ended any international trust, not only in the United States government, but instead for the American people. 

With the blockade of the strait, the stability of the world has been seriously disrupted. Airports now lack jet fuel; fishermen can’t afford to fish as fuel costs have doubled; the shortage of fertilizer leads to global famine; and countries around the world have only days of fuel left. 

Despite Trump’s pleas, the Iranians have no reason to stop now. Every day the Strait is closed, their leverage under the Trump administration grows. This war is for the survival of the Iranian regime; the administration has made it clear from the beginning that it aims for the overthrow of the theocracy. 

The regime has no other option but to maximize its position because Trump has shown himself to be untrustworthy. The Iranians have never been close to creating a nuclear bomb. Even under the pressure of crippling sanctions, the government had negotiations with the Americans to limit nuclear capabilities. However, the deal was torn apart by Trump, and sanctions were put back in place, causing the Iranian economy to falter. 

When the Iranians were attacked in the last couple of years, they held back. In the buildup to the war, the Iranians agreed to the demands of the Americans, but were bombed only hours later.

Therefore, war will not end anytime soon. Even with the current negotiations, the Trump administration is hostile towards its own allies, with threats of war against Denmark. The president’s personal policy is to have the world submit to American power and use the military to achieve that goal. Only the political demise of the president, through the economic shock of the blockade, can force Trump to give up his war in the Persian Gulf.

Before the war, the American government’s strong support for Israel, elimination of life-saving aid programs and threats of annexation towards loyal allies caused our global reputation to plummet. But the decision for war with Iran, throwing the world economy out of the window, is what will finish it. 

The world’s distrust doesn’t start with the president, but also includes the apparatus surrounding him. The people who should know better, like Marco Rubio, failed to stop this mess. The plethora of businessmen, who even after witnessing Trump’s attempted insurrection and obsession with tariffs, still backed him instead of dealing with Biden-era regulations. Many of the same businessmen, now critics, accuse him of harming the country by delivering on what he promised. 

The biggest fault of our nation is the common people. Despite the unpopularity of the first Trump administration and his promises of disastrous policy positions, the American voter told themselves that he wasn’t planning on implementing his policies.

We have shown ourselves as a nation of losers and suckers, tricked not once but twice by a sleazy fraudster. The American people have been shown to be easily influenced by podcast hosts, fooled by the optics of wealth and showmanship.

But fundamentally, our national consciousness has changed. Socialization has been abandoned for hours of screen time, and the loneliness that follows has only pushed people into the comfort of extremism. This leads to the rejection of intellectualism, which is replaced with conspiracy theories that offer false solutions to current problems. 

We are increasingly becoming a country that is easily angered and sees politics not as constructive decision-making, but as an extension of the entertainment seen on reality shows, with easy solutions and rewards. 

People fear a potential JD Vance presidency, with his hostility towards the Western alliance’s liberal values and his carelessness towards the livelihoods of those in developing countries. Due to the dominance of this new conservative isolationism, the world realizes the future Republican Party will be more extreme and hostile towards cooperation.

Even as the Republican Party is increasingly adopting the rhetoric of white nationalism, the average voter continues to see both parties with the same level of extremism. How can any country trust that there will be stability and security in its region if it will be determined by those same voters in Pennsylvania every four years? 

The chaos and instability will result in the end of America as the only superpower. We will still be a great power that can influence global affairs, but nations will begin to decouple from American overreliance. Europe, India and other nations have already increased their defense spending and produced more independent foreign policies.

The new world we are entering will be one where more nations are competing against each other. But with the declining empire, the power vacuum produced is only bringing more instability and conflict. Our hubris as a nation is the only thing pushing this country and the world down this path.

Mateusz is a senior in LAS.

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