Americans have been the unconscious beneficiaries of a world order that would not exist without them. Just as we take for granted electricity and plumbing, so to we take for granted the peace and prosperity of our system.
That order is now imperiled. The United States no longer enjoys an unquestioned advantage over its rivals, Russia and China, as it once did. North Korea and Iran threaten the United States with nuclear weapons and support for terrorism. Perhaps most threatening of all: rising nationalist and populist movements around the world, including in the United States, are undermining popular support for international cooperation, free trade, and collective security.
