Hyperpowers Throughout History: Will the US Prevail?

Amy Chua, Professor, Yale Law School

In Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance—And Why They Fall, Amy Chua examines
the hyperpowers of history—Persia, Rome, China, the Mongols, the Dutch, the British, and the United States— and argues that they all have two things in common: They rose to preeminence through toleration and declined during a period of intolerance and xenophobia. Chua reasons that America’s ascension to global dominance differs from its predecessors because it is the first democratic hyperpower and therefore cannot secure loyalty and allegiance by way of conquest. As its dominance appears to be regressing, Chua questions whether America can sustain its position as a democratic hyperpower.

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