European allies broadly support building closer ties to China -- and believe America's role as a global superpower is fading.
With the Iran war entering a third week and the price of oil reaching nearly $105 a barrel on Monday, President Trump again urged NATO countries and China to help the U.S. secure the vital Strait of Hormuz. n.pr/4sgCQGH
-- NPR (@npr.org) Mar 16, 2026 at 8:24 AM
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@#6 ... America's role as a global superpower is fading. ...
Looks that way.
Here's a commentary that has caught my attention. Unfortunataely, aside from a short excerpt, only the video is available ...
OpEd: America's imperial trap in Iran
fareedzakaria.com
... For around 15 years, many American leaders -- including all three presidents in that period -- believed that the country was too deeply entangled in trying to reorder the societies of the Middle East.
They felt the more pressing challenges included rebuilding America's industrial base and confronting the rise of China.
Yet here America is, once again, fighting a war to reorder a society in the greater Middle East.
And like in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, this war seems unlikely to turn out quite as its proponents may hope.
Why does this keep happening? ...
The full OpEd is here [paywall]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/03/13/britain-empire-trump-iran-decline/
Or on video here: Why America keeps getting bogged down in the Middle East
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGDVTgOw_4Q
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