The Superpower Cleanse: How to Shrink a Nation in 90 Days

Fast, effective, and completely unsustainable.

Three months into Trump’s second term, and it’s clear: this isn’t a rerun, it’s a reckoning. Trump 2.0 isn’t picking up where he left off. He’s flooring it.

What used to be whispered in think tanks is now splashed across global headlines. Allies are hedging. Rivals are thrilled. And if this keeps up, America won’t just lose global influence, it’ll hand it over, neatly wrapped, with a misspelled thank-you note.

Former CIA Director William Burns said it best: great powers don’t fall by force. They fall by forfeiting leadership.

The question now isn’t whether we’re in decline. It’s whether we even care what comes next.

In a last-ditch effort to stay grounded, I looked back at what experts predicted, and what’s already come true. This isn’t hindsight. It’s a preview.

If the trend holds, Americans face a future that’s lonelier, more expensive, and less free. Your dollar shrinks. Your passport weakens. Your government answers to partisans, not people. The U.S. doesn’t lead—it lurches.

Meanwhile, countries like Canada, Germany, and Japan are quietly building a post-American order. It’s steadier. Their citizens get rights and rules. We get chaos, culture wars, and democratic decay.

So pour a drink. Hug a pillow. The unraveling isn’t coming. It’s here.

Human Rights: From Beacon to Burnout

What they warned: If the U.S. stops defending human rights, autocrats won’t just fill the void—they’ll rewrite the rules. Source: Freedom House – “Nations in Transit 2024” (PDF)

What’s happening now:

The State Department has gone quiet on abuses in Hungary, El Salvador, and beyond.
Trump is ready to resume arms deals with Egypt and Saudi Arabia, regardless of their records.

Why it matters: America once exported ideals. Now it exports indifference. That’s a green light for strongmen who see rights as optional.

So what? Ignore rights abroad, and they erode at home. The same legal justifications used to excuse repression overseas start showing up in our courts, classrooms, and voting booths. This isn’t distant, it’s viral. And the world is watching.

NATO: From Cornerstone to Coffin

What they warned: Trump would treat NATO like a gym membership: pay or get benched. Source: POLITICO – “Trump’s Plan for NATO Is Emerging”

What’s happening now:

Trump pitched a two-tier NATO. No spending? No protection.
At the 2025 summit, Eastern European allies were told, “The free ride is over.”

Why it matters: Germany and France are exploring post-NATO security plans. A NATO official said, “This is the first time the threat is coming from inside the tent.”

So what? If NATO fractures, we go it alone. That means higher defense costs and no shared deterrent. And if Russia tests the vacuum? The choices are grim, stand solo or stand down.

Democracy at Home: Authoritarianism with Paperwork

What they warned: Trump would politicize justice, gut institutions, and erase guardrails. Source: Foreign Affairs – “The Path to American Authoritarianism”

What’s happening now:

Schedule F is back, tens of thousands of civil servants can now be replaced with political loyalists.
LGBTQ+ protections were stripped by executive order.
The U.S. is now listed on the CIVICUS Watchlist for declining civic space, for the first time ever.

Why it matters: It’s not a coup. It’s sabotage with a smile.

So what? This isn’t theoretical. It’s your tax refund, your FEMA response, your healthcare access—politicized and weaponized. When public service becomes partisan, your rights depend on who’s in power, not what the law says.

The Dollar’s Not Dead. But It’s Wheezing.

What they warned: Politicize the dollar, and the world will walk away. Source: CFR – “The Future of the Dollar in a De-Dollarizing World”

Expert insight: Adam Tooze: “The risk is not collapse, but decay.”

What’s happening now:

Trump imposed a 10% universal tariff and is pushing 60% tariffs on Chinese imports.
France and the UAE completed a gas deal in yuan, bypassing the dollar.

Why it matters: Dollar dominance isn’t just prestige—it’s scaffolding. It keeps our borrowing cheap and our influence global. When countries like China or Japan start unloading U.S. debt, that scaffolding buckles.

So what? If foreign creditors walk, your mortgage rate spikes, your retirement shrinks, and public programs get squeezed. This isn’t abstract—it’s the air your economy breathes.

If America Won’t Lead, Someone Will

What they warned: Step back from democracy promotion, and others—good and bad—rush in. Source: Carnegie – “Trump’s Second American Revolution—Against the World”

What’s happening now:

The EU’s AI Act is setting global tech norms.
Canada, Germany, and the Nordics are climbing soft power rankings.
Bukele and Orbán now cite Trump’s America as validation.

Why it matters: When Washington stops leading, others step up. And not all of them are democracies.

So what? Global rules, from privacy to speech, are being written in Brussels and Beijing. American companies lose influence. American values become optional. The shining city on a hill? Dimmed. And no one’s reaching for the switch.

Where We’re Headed by 2029—If Nothing Changes

NATO: fractured or sidelined
The dollar: downgraded
U.S. democracy: a brand, not a practice
Global leadership: claimed by others
The world: more unstable, less American

Do We Even Care?

This isn’t speculative fiction. It’s happening now. The lights aren’t flickering They’re going out, room by room.

The question isn’t whether we’re losing global leadership. It’s whether we’re even paying attention to who’s taking our place, and what that means for our daily lives.

Because you don’t have to lose a war to lose a superpower. You just have to stop showing up.