China as an alternative to US leadership?

The decline of US leadership does not automatically confer legitimacy on Beijing’s model.

- KHEDROOB THONDUP

The waning American order: The United States has long been the architect of the post-World War II international system—anchoring NATO, underwriting global trade, and projecting liberal democratic ideals.

Yet the erosion of US credibility—from Iraq to Afghanistan, from the Trump administration's retreat from multilateralism to Biden's uneven follow-through—has left allies questioning Washington's reliability. The perception of decline is not merely about military overstretch; it is about political dysfunction at home and a loss of moral authority abroad.