'Infantile Republican extremists' created 'a superpower without a functioning government': Krugman

The term "Pax Americana" generally refers to a post-World War 2, Cold War-era climate of relative stability in the West — stability that, according to the concept, was encouraged by the United States and its influence on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Economist Paul Krugman, in a biting New York Times column published on October 16, laments that the "Pax Americana" is "in decline" — and argues that far-right MAGA Republicans are partly to blame.

"Even serious students of international affairs are noting that the world seems to be becoming more dangerous, with many local cold wars turning hot — and suggesting that we may be witnessing the end of the Pax Americana, the long era in which U.S. economic and military dominance limited the potential for wars of conquest," Krugman explains. "But why is the Pax Americana in decline?"

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Krugman goes on to argue that "the world no longer trusts U.S. promises." President Joe Biden, the economist writes, has made a valiant effort to restore the United States' credibility and image of "strength" but has been undermined at every turn by "Republican extremists" and their "infantile" stunts.

"Right now, America is a superpower without a fully functioning government," Krugman observes. "Specifically, the House of Representatives has no speaker, so it can't pass legislation, including bills funding the government and providing aid to U.S. allies. The House is paralyzed because Republican extremists, who have refused to acknowledge Biden's legitimacy and promoted chaos rather than participating in governance, have turned these tactics on their own party. Given this political reality, how much can any nation trust U.S. assurances of support?"

Krugman continues, "At this point, it's hard to see how anyone can become speaker without Democratic votes — but even less extreme Republicans refuse to reach across the aisle. And even if Republicans do somehow manage to elect a speaker, it seems all too likely that whoever gets the job will have to promise the hard right that he will betray Ukraine."

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Read Paul Krugman's full New York Times column at this link (subscription required).