The Biggest Threat to the US

           The largest threat to the US depends on how you define threat. It also depends on how you define our current situation as a hegemonic power. Does a threat to the US mean that we lose influence or that our country completely implodes? Does the US need hegemonic power to stay relevant, or would a lessening of responsibilities as the "world police" lead us to a more prosperous future in the long run? I believe the greatest threat to the current status of the US is a loss of sovereignty that will ultimately benefit us.
            The European Union went through a transformation decades ago much like I envision the US needing to succumb to. Great powers like Germany, the UK and France realized that they needed a stronger network to keep themselves relevant and guard their interests. The US could be close to this same deferral of sovereignty in order to combat stronger interests on the international stage. Our current protectionist policies underscore a fear that we are declining, yet cutting out our allies has only worsened the situation. If the US wants to remain relevant, it will need to look towards accepting that being a member of an American Union might be its best hope for long term survival.
            If the US were to enter such a partnership, where states from Canada to Argentina gave up portions of their sovereignty with freedom of movement agreements, it might help to spark the western hemisphere into fruition. Strengthening our neighbors would crate less instability in the region, while securing two continents would make us a formidable opponent, both economically and militarily. This, however, would mark the end of the US as a sovereign superpower and mark the turning point towards a greater union necessary to survive. Trade pacts and equal growth and development could prop the US up where our own economy and workforce will fail us.
           The catalyst to this movement would be economic downturn in the US and soaring inflation as our protectionist policies backfire and turn on our populace. Massive spending, decay of political institutions and the inability to accept change are slowly positioning us to fall before stronger, smarter economies. While China secures trade routes to build the new silk road, the US is engaging in fights with its allies and alienating its chances of survival. As prices rise, workers will not take the pay-cuts necessary to perform the jobs that immigrants once performed, especially as inflation rises and prices become out of control. At this point, it will take a union of nations to come together to drag each other out of the depths of poverty.
            Ultimately, I envision the US receding from the world scene, and this would constitute a shift of hegemonic power. Our future as a nation is not in question, but our future as a leader of the free world is slowly diminishing. We do not need to be the moral authority to survive as a nation, nor do we need to be the most powerful. We must be the most strategic, building alliances with our geo-political neighbors and forging bonds that will help sustain us as the EU has helped to prop up member nations. No union is perfect, but our demand outweighs what we can produce without help. The transition from world power to world player may be scary to some, but this should be the natural progression to realize a sustainable future.