The US faces faithful choices: preserve American primacy, let it go, keep current alliances or restructure them, accommodate China/Russia/Iran by granting spheres of influence, or try to contain them and rebuild a 350-ship fleet; the question is whether to find new equilibrium in each region or face confrontation, and whether the US can combine containment, cooperation, delicate calibration of strength and diplomacy.
normativepending
Speaker
Steven CodkinEvidence Quote
“Can American primacy be preserved or restored? Should it even be preserved? Maybe enough is enough? Should we keep the current alliances?... Should we just accommodate China and East Asia, Russia in Eurasia and Iran and the Gulf by granting the spheres of influence?”
Source
Stephen Kotkin: Sphere of Influence I - The Gift of Geopolitics: How Worlds are Made, and Unmade— IWMViennaCreated: 8/12/2026, 6:14:33 PM
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