What measure is being used for the idea of US decline?
The US enjoyed an open field during the post war period until the 70's hit. It has promoted capitalism around the world as a panacea to Communism. It's GDP/Capita has increased.
Everyone expected big industrial complexes like Japan, Europe and UK to rebound and that's what has happened, but with product focus goods and services (niche) rather than mass manufacture; an advantage of clean sheet restart. The juggernaut US economy has a problem diversifying because of sheer size, but it has committed itself to it's Hollywood persona of opportunity and equality, which is going to bring out the impatient knockers.
I will concede the US has an eroding international competitiveness, but a lot of that can be assigned with the social malaise head space it is enduring through growing inequality and declining real wages. But the nation itself is doing quite well compared to it's own historical benchmarks.
