America's Decline and Loss of Global Leadership. We discuss the arrogance and decline of the United States, which no longer leads by example but rather by inertia. It is an empire that screams but is not listened to, that threatens but is not feared, and that imposes sanctions but no longer controls. The U.S. has lost faith in itself and no longer defends ideals, only interests. It manages decay rather than building the future, and its arrogance is merely armor for its underlying weakness. While