Is America still the indispensable nation?

Back in 1998, Madeleine Albright, then the secretary of state, called the United States the "indispensable nation." She meant that this country, armed with unmatchable force and influence, stood at the helm of a web of alliances and global organizations that guided world events. More than 50 years after the invention of nuclear weapons, the U.S. had presided over a Pax Americana that had kept the peace among the nuclear powers. Today, more than a quarter century later, are we still the indispensable nation? The answer is yes — but probably not for much longer. The era of Pax Americana…