676. Has America Lost the Plot?

Another war in the Middle East. A retreat from the international order. A presidency built on self-dealing and arbitrary power. It’s enough to make you think the U.S. is in a steep decline — but Fareed Zakaria thinks otherwise. SOURCES: Fareed Zakaria, journalist and author. RESOURCES: "Iran is an imperial trap. America walked right in." by Fareed Zakaria (The Washington Post, 2026). "‘Bomb and hope’ is not a strategy," by Fareed Zakaria (The Washington Post, 2026). Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, by Fareed Zakaria (2024). The Accidental Superpower: The Next Generation of American Preeminence and the Coming Global Disorder, by Peter Zeihan (2014). The Affluent Society, by Jonathan Galbraith (1958). EXTRAS: "Fareed Zakaria on What Just Happened, and What Comes Next," by Freakonomics Radio (2024). "Are We Living Through the Most Revolutionary Period in History?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024). "The Folly of Prediction," by Freakonomics Radio (2011). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.