Cooper ClydeFrom an economic perspective, the United States is still the world’s first economy in terms of absolute GDP, achieves very high productivity levels, is the major financial center on the planet, and has the largest tertiary sector in terms of expansion, level of advancement, and ability to innovate. At the same time, however, the United States was the epicenter from which the international economic and financial crisis of 2008 spread, it has an ever-increasing federal public debt (which has reached about 108% of GDP) that structurally exposes it to external holder countries, and it has a currency that, while still a benchmark in international monetary systems, no longer has the strength and resilience demonstrated in past decades.
Military sphere
If we then look at the military sphere, the gap between Washington and the rest of the world seems more pronounced not only in terms of military spending, defense equipment, and the quality and quantity of available weapons systems (conventional and unconventional), but also because the United States is currently the only country able to extend its power globally through control of the three so-called common spaces: the sky, space, and sea. However, this advantage, which is difficult to question and irresistible in the short to medium term, is balanced by the limited ability to use military resources in the current international context to combat non-traditional threats such as terrorist networks and international crime.
To complete the picture of U.S. power, we should also pay attention to its intangible aspects, i.e., so-called soft power. Even in this area, the appeal of the American model-with its values, its democratic and liberal political tradition, its cultural industry, and its scientific primacy-is attractive, if it has been a powerful instrument of influence in the hands of the United States since World War II.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The global nature of the US hegemonic interests determines the multi-vector nature of its foreign policy, which is characterized by guidelines that cover all regions of the world.
The first and more natural one is aimed at neighboring countries and the rest of the American continent. With Canada and Mexico on its northern and southern borders, respectively, Washington has the largest trade relations in its history, especially after the entry into force of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) in January 1994, a free trade agreement that introduced the gradual elimination of customs barriers. In addition, these two countries are the backbone of the U.S. oil supply and represent two privileged political partners with whom the U.S. cooperates in many areas, from security to the environment, through job protection and cross-border control. In contrast, the Latin American subcontinent has historically been perceived by the United States as its “backyard” and thus an area where it can exert its influence in a more exclusive and direct way. In contrast to the rest of the Americas, the symptoms of a greater desire for autonomy, though not exactly opposition, to U.S. policy are much more evident in this region.
The network of transatlantic relations
The second traditional area of US foreign policy is the network of transatlantic relations. Here, the United States maintains what historically can be defined as its most important bilateral relationship: the special relationship with the United Kingdom. Due to historical, linguistic and cultural affinities, the two countries share many common interests and have forged a strategic alliance at the center of the Western world that has been able to reaffirm and renew itself in response to all the major challenges that have arisen during the twentieth century, from the two world wars to the Cold War to the fight against global terrorism. On several occasions and on various international issues, London has shown that it is much closer to US policy than to that of the European Union (EU), of which it has also been a member since 1973. This latter organization, within which the United States maintains both a privileged relationship with some members and a more volatile relationship with others, presents a challenging analog for Washington.
INSTITUTIONAL ORDER AND DOMESTIC POLITICS
The United States is characterized by one of the most functional and stable domestic political systems in the world, boasting a centuries-old tradition. The system of state and government is organized on the model of a presidential republic with a federal structure. The United States is the oldest federal system in existence. The Constitution regulates the relationship between the central government and each of the 50 federal states. Each state has its own government and a bicameral legislature (except for Nebraska, which has a unicameral legislature) that exercises legislative power within its borders.
The autonomy enjoyed by individual state governments, headed by a governor (elected directly by the people of the state to which they belong and entrusted with executive power), is quite broad, especially in areas such as education, labor rights, business and property, all areas where there are clear differences between individual states. The constitution also stipulates that all laws passed by state governments must not contradict the fundamental charter itself and laws passed by the federal government. The latter represents the highest political body and regulates matters of strategic importance and national interest, such as foreign policy, security policy, international trade, and tax collection. The federal government is headed by the President of the United States, who exercises executive power and is also the head of state, government, and business and property, all areas in which there are clear differences between individual states.
