In short, since the start of the 21st century, the United States, like Athens in the 5th century BC, has been guilty of hubristic overreach and geopolitical distraction. As a result, its post-war empire of influence in Asia is now under severe threat.​​​​​​​

它还指出美国人在一些无足轻重的事情上大打出手而加剧了自己的衰落：Thus far this century, America, like Athens, has depleted its strength by throwing vast resources at non-essential wars in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. These were distracting conflicts where even victory would have provided modest benefits. In hindsight victories in Iraq and Syria were largely pyrrhic while the war in Afghanistan seems all but lost. Meanwhile China has grown its economy, built a world class navy and leveraged its strength to co-opt regional allies.