I would say it's their choices with renewable energy that has resulted in their economic decline. If you dont have reliable cheap energy, how can you run your steel refineries which require large amounts of electricity, plus their massive engineering industries. And you have countries like China commissioning new coal fired power stations every week. So explain how it's the USA? ---------- There a lot of things that lead to the USA, here are only some:
Take refuge problem, for example. The US fights its wars directly or through their proxies and Europe is forced to take millions of refugees and cover the costs associated with it. The US, under Obama and Hillary, decided to overthrow al-Assad and war ensued in 2011 and is still going on.
Take renewables, for example. Americans have introduced new legislation that favours American based businesses (lithium mines) and manufacturers of lithium batteries. Europeans are losing as they cannot compete with this protective US approach.
Americans, either themselves or through somebody else, have destroyed Nord Stream 2 pipeline and thus forcing Europe to buy LNG at very inflated prices from the US. Germany was buying lots of gas from Norway, but still.
Chinese, contrary to what many people think, are more advanced than most of the world when it comes to moving from hydrocarbon based fuels to renewables. I can't remember exact number, but as we speak, they are building close to 30 (?) nuclear power stations or power stations containing altogether 30 nuclear reactors. Also, those coal powered power stations you've mentioned in your post are not the conventional ones, they are very modern and a lot less polluting if at all.
Take war in Ukraine. About one month into the war, Ukraininans were about to sign peace with the Russians, I mean they were almost signing the final draft but the US opposed and didn't give OK to Naftali Bennett who was mediating between Ukraine and Russia.
Also, see by how much some of Europe's countries are increasing their spending on armaments. Germans, for example, have increased their spending by over 100 billion USD over the next few years, And, who is paying for this? German tax payer. Who is making $$$$? The US MIC among them.
Fast forward to 2:40:00 and watch until 3:00:44 Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister of Israel, talks about receiving Putin's promise not to assassinate Zelensky as well as how the US had opposed to the peace treaty Zelensky and Putin were about to sign.
