Day: March 25, 2026

Neal Wolin portrays the present as an extraordinary historical moment marked above all by the long-term erosion of democratic norms and institutional capacity in the United States, which he argues undermines the country’s ability to solve any other problem. He criticizes the administration’s shifting objectives and expansive use of executive power in the conflict with Iran, warns of fraying alliances and a needed “managed rivalry” with China, and highlights economic risks from soaring federal debt despite the dollar’s reserve-currency cushion. Overall, he conveys a sense of global and domestic fragility, suggesting that the traditional tools of American governance and leadership are being dangerously hollowed out or discarded.