The United States as a Superpower

The United States emerged from World War II as the world's preeminent power. It possessed the world's largest economy, the only nuclear weapons, and a military machine that had helped defeat both Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The next half-century would see America build a global order based on liberal democracy, free markets, and collective security — while also engaging in interventions, proxy wars, and covert operations that contradicted its stated ideals.

The Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and creation of NATO established America as the leader of the Western world against Soviet communism. The United States fought major wars in Korea and Vietnam, maintained military bases across Europe and Asia, and conducted covert operations from Iran to Guatemala to Chile. Domestically, the postwar period saw unprecedented prosperity alongside struggles over civil rights, Vietnam, and Watergate that challenged American institutions.

After the Cold War ended in 1991, the United States stood as the sole superpower in what some called a 'unipolar moment.' But the September 11 attacks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2008 financial crisis, and the rise of China have complicated American hegemony. The question of whether the United States can — or should — maintain its global role remains one of the defining debates of the 21st century.