America is in Decline and We Should Worry | Niall Ferguson

In this clip Niall unpacks the chronic fiscal issues in the US and its impact on geopolitical security.

Niall Ferguson, MA, D.Phil., is the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a senior fellow of the Centre for European Studies, Harvard, where he served for twelve years as the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History.

He is the author of fifteen books, most recently The Square and the Tower. His previous book, Kissinger, 1923-1968: The Idealist, won the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Prize. He is also an award-winning filmmaker, having won an international Emmy for his PBS series The Ascent of Money.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues.

John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; "You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[terencetong]

A student from United States came to Hong Kong for exchange. I told her that our health care is free, our university fee is partially subsidized, and we only pay 15 percent max for tax.
She said how is this possible ?
I said we don't spend money on wars

[Rayseagate]

the U.S. has spent trillions of dollars on fruitless wars in the Middle East and has nothing to show for, whereas China has been investing heavily in education, infrastructure, technology and research. Unfortunately, the U.S. has not learned any lesson and still on the same path of wars, yet again. Some of the reasons the Roman empire collapsed are never ending wars and over extension. Does it sound familiar?

[konagirl]

Maybe we’re just in decline but I’d say we are actually in total cultural and economic collapse.

[Lolpopi]

"A weak authoritarian regime is more likely to lash out than one that feels confident"

Exactly! This is why the US Empire has been starting non stop wars all around the war in the last decade.

[iainmackenzieUK]

is this why America is lashing out? it feels weak and threatened?

[Drchainsaw]

There's no chance that debt levels like this can be called "misguided." This is either stupidity on a galactic scale or the destruction is 100% deliberate and purposeful.

[stuartwray]

The US has been lashing out interminably for the last 20 years, not China.

[Hibernicus]

Regarding what he said about our debt to GDP ratio being 110%, just as it was at the end of WWII... We could deal with that then, and then go on to the economic boom of the 1950s because we were, in the aftermath of WWII, the only fully intact, large industrial base in the world. At the end of the war, the US was producing _half_ of the world's manufactured goods. It gave us the income to service our massive war debt, pay most of it off, and have wealth and living standards unprecedented in human history. Today, we only produce 16.6% of the world's manufactured goods. Taking on the level of debt we have now was simply _insane._

We are in for some really hard times if we don't get our fiscal house in order.

[MissAwa]

It's funny to see him saying worrying China "will lash out" when it turns weak, and totally ignores the US IS lashing out hard because it IS declining in every way.

[sophiefuller]

"Don't forget to pay your taxes. Ukraine and Israel are counting on them!"
It breaks my heart down to its deepest core when I realize everyday how us Americans dont actually matter anymore to our government...

[mmojave]

The one who lashes out on others would probably be the US.

[audnu-vanced]

Saying China will launch a war is a clear display of idiocy.

[davidnek]

Why WORRY? No law says Empires last forever, just look at history of empires that came and gone.

[thomasrogers]

THE AMERICAN POLITICIANS AND OUR PEOPLE DO NOT SEEN TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN NOT CONTINUE TO SPEND LIKE CRAZY.

[dougg]

We are going down fast folks. And many have no idea what’s coming

[kenho-wrulrhm]

as a chinese, the major problem i feel america has is they are living in the shadow of others, like China China China
but not live for themselves, this is very crazy

[EZ-rszv]

The only countries which I see "lashing out" right now are the USA, Russia and Israel, so it is not just autocracies which we need to worry about, we also need to worry about poorly run countries in general.

[benplumlee]

Late 1970- 80s American automotive makers refused to deliver quality cars at a good price. Japanese cars took the market. It’s was a complete failure to innovate and provide the customer with what they wanted a good product at a good price. China is about to do the same with EVs.

[gloriathomas]

I'm not worried about America'd decline because the world needs multipolarity

[rickeyjay]

This man is correct but sadly speaks well over the heads of at least 60% (I’m being generous) of the dumbed down American public.