TEHRAN - American political analyst Martin Love believes that the U.S. is being pushed towards an irreversible decline due to its harsh policies, especially when it started to threaten and use military power.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the debate on U.S. decline which had characterized the 1980s was succeeded by a debate on the new and unchallenged dominance of the United States, following the implosion of its serious military rival.

However, some observers say that the U.S. now seems to be embedded in an irreversible decline unless Joe Biden can manage to allow positive perceptions of the country by shrewd deeds and realignments overseas.

“For one, the U.S. now seems to be embedded in an irreversible, self-inflicted decline,” Martin Love tells the Tehran Times.

“There is no question the country is in decline. Any country that has to resort to threats and military power to maintain its edge is already suffering a decline,” Love notes.

“One must credit Iran for its capacity to endure. But Iran has been around for over 2000 years and I believe if it can hold out a few more years, if necessary, it will be a leading country in Asia.”Three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, America has acted as the world’s hegemon. In fact, the end of the Cold War was an ideological and political triumph for the United States and was widely celebrated as a vindication of the long-term strategy of containment and pressure which the Americans had pursued over four decades.

At the same time, it created a vacuum in U.S. policy, raising questions of whether the elaborate system of bases and the huge military budgets established during the Cold War were any longer necessary. 

Under the Trump presidency, the U.S. faced more difficulties in its international ties due to its unilateral policies and sanctions against other countries all around the world.

Trump tried to exploit the dollar as a leverage to threaten or pressure countries that don’t follow U.S. orders.

“The U.S. really has few real friends nowadays, and it is not offering the world anything but further conflict,” Love argues. 

“The most important factor is probably the fact that the dollar is probably going to die this decade. It’s been printed to oblivion and has no backing.”

Though the new administration makes every effort to repair the international reputation of the U.S., superficial steps may not change the situation.

“Biden is already reversing some of Trump’s policies but the most important ones he seems unwilling to change, especially regarding the Middle East (West Asia) and absurd support of the Zionists,” the American analyst notes.

 “However,” Love says, “Biden is probably not going to reunify the country.” He says, “As the American condition worsens, the divisions will only increase. It’s just a matter of time.”

In the past and in the current time the U.S. has undermined many opportunities, including the nuclear deal - officially known as the JCPOA- that was inked with Iran in 2015.

“The JCPOA may be dead, but it won’t be because of Iran. We wait to see whether Biden drops sanctions, as the U.S. should,” Love says.

To make matters worse, the Biden administration seems hesitant to lift sanctions on Iran in an effort to add preconditions to the nuclear pact before rejoining it.

“I suppose with the JCPOA dead; the question then becomes can Iran defend itself against further attacks by the U.S., Israel? One certainly hopes so. Meanwhile, how can anyone trust the U.S. government,” he adds.

Love expects Iran to be pleased if sanctions are dropped, but “Iran will be wary, too.”
 
He adds, “Iran really can’t justifiably reject the JCPOA if the U.S. does its part. But no one is holding their breath.”

Nevertheless, the U.S. “maximum pressure” showed that the sanctions always do not prove effective to change other countries’ behavior, and the era of unipolar hegemony is gone. 

“Economic sanctions applied so widely across the world by the U.S. are insane and not helping the U.S. make friends anywhere,” Love points out.

“The ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran has not worked and never will,” he maintains. “One must credit Iran for its capacity to endure. But Iran has been around for over 2000 years and I believe if it can hold out a few more years, if necessary, it will be a leading country in Asia.”