The Web3 Era

7The American Way

“I like America, just as everybody else does. I love America, I gotta say that. But America will be judged.”

These words were rumored to have been said by American folk icon, Bob Dylan, onstage at some point in his decades‐long career. Though unverified, it is highly plausible coming from the controversial singer who captured the zeitgeist of the turbulent 1960s in his incendiary lyrical criticism of the United States domestically and the Vietnam War, and whose idea of success is a man who “gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.”

Many nations are still living in the world of Dylan's lyrics, with fractured economies crippled by sanctions and embargoes. The singer‐songwriter's remarks on US foreign policy and his definition of success might have been made years ago, but today, the world is judging America as the Global South rises and seeks financial sovereignty.

No longer dubbed the world's largest economy, America's might is being questioned by new world powers while old allies are beginning to reassess their fleeting relationships with the trade giant.

In a shocking revelation this year, the combined governments and economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) are looking to add new members into their circle – among the choices are Egypt (Africa's second largest GDP), Saudi Arabia (America's strongest ally in the Middle East), and Turkey (NATO's second largest army after Russia). All ...