Since World War I and II, the world has undergone enormous changes in medicine, science, technology, social, economic and political spectrums. World War I reshaped the modern world, including scientific and technological advances and progress in global living conditions.

The end of the "British Empire" paved the way for the United States to become a world major power. Time passed so quickly. If one looks back, from its Civil War to Cold War, the U.S. has shown no signs of wisdom nor learned any lessons from the fall of great empires, rather it continued to act as the "world’s policeman."

Today, many Americans are seeking insights from Civil War narratives as concerns about potential civil unrest loom large. Leading scholars are engaged in discussions pondering whether the U.S. is on a path toward another civil conflict.

The American way

For decades, the U.S. establishment has supported wars, insurgencies, covert operations and the overthrow of unfriendly governments overseas. Today, experts are deliberating on whether the era of the "American century" has come to an end.

In brief, William Blum's book, "America’s Deadliest Export-Democracy-The Truth about US Foreign Policy and Everything Else" explains the rest.

Until this point, I briefly captured America’s role abroad in invading and destroying foreign lands, displacing native people, stealing their national assets and forcefully taking their natural resources.

It is a shame that America has spent trillions on its wars and killed and displaced millions of people. According to a study conducted at the Watson Institute at Brown University, the U.S. has spent a total of $8 trillion on a 20-year war on terror, which resulted in around 4.5 million deaths and 38 million people becoming refugees; those left disabled, mentally traumatized and otherwise affected are not included. Next, look at what is happening inside America.

A huge list of books, studies, journal, newspaper articles, films and documentaries affirm that America is continuously fighting wars most often evidently with imaginary and manufactured enemies around the globe.

Like millions of people my age, I learned about the U.S. mostly through Hollywood films, and the Western media that mostly show the world that America is great!

As I grew up and started traveling, working and studying for my master's and Ph.D. in England, I had the opportunity to meet up with friends and ordinary Americans, which broadened and eventually changed my view of America.

But before sharing it, I must share a line from memories stored at the back of my mind. Decades ago, I was a repairman working for Abu-Dhabi TV and covering America’s war on Afghanistan.

I went to Quetta with Amr Almouneri Abu Dhabi TV’s war correspondent to report the war. There, I had the chance to visit Afghan camps. I remember an innocent child asked Amr a simple question in Pashto: Why is America waging war on Afghanistan?

The world knew none of the Afghans had ever attacked America rather than fought its war against Russia. I translated it to Amr who gave him a little money for food and hugged him. That was a measured and wise answer.

Since then, I have never learned anything that shows America is great. Think of its war on Iraq on the pretext of "weapons of mass destruction" and later the "oil-for-food" program for Iraqis, liberating Afghan women, and unconditional support for Israeli engaging in systematic "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" of Palestinians, theft of natural resources of African and Asian nations, supporting and encouraging conflicts, endorsing arms race and so on and so forth.

U.S. at a crossroads

Decades of negligence and disregard for ordinary Americans suffering America has arguably reached an abort point. Hence, the big debate now is to look at why is the U.S. on the verge of a civil war.

Looking at America's bigger challenges at home, let's consult Nicholas Kristof’s "The Biggest Threat to America is America itself" and Jack Weinstein’s "America’s greatest national security threat" articles that unearth significant reasons behind America’s downward journey.

Weinstein further noted that "International and domestic disinformation campaigns targeting Americans is our most pressing and dire threat to the security of our republic."

For decades, the American "ruling class" has turned a blind eye toward wide-ranging issues at home including inflation, rising levels of poverty, homelessness, unemployment, health care, gun shootings, drugs, policing and racism.

On gun shooting victims, I lost my strength to read the figures, so I am referring you directly to the archives. Why are Americans shooting their fellow beings? Think about it!

Instead of focusing on human development, the U.S. is busy creating, promoting and fighting imaginary and imaginary enemies abroad. Also, evidently, America is funding, supporting and fighting illegal wars around the globe leaving not enough resources for human development at home.

This is the brief story of a superpower that has utterly failed to protect its own people, democracy, and American values including the freedoms and liberties of ordinary people.

Anyone can research and see over the years how many academics, journalists, politicians, writers and activists have lost their jobs by criticizing Israeli government policies and the American unconditional support for them that led to genocide.

That’s simply one example, the list of American support for atrocities in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Latin America goes on. Obviously, we don't have enough space to enlist all American misadventures.

I can recall my backdated article "Is it time to rebuild America" published in the Daily Sabah, and sadly nothing has changed because the U.S. has not learned from its mistakes.

I then wrote, "Of course, after all its acts of aggression, intervention, forced dictatorship, human rights abuses and more, Washington has lost its good reputation."

The giant challenge ahead is to restore America’s long-lost image. Let's take one example, how the U.S. has treated black people "from slavery to George Floyd" death at the hands of white U.S. cop.

Surely, the painful story of the Indigenous people who were "slaughtered in the name of "civilization’" and everyday racism aimed at the immigrants are two troublesome narratives of a global power that brands itself as "great." What do you think of the U.S.? Is it really a great nation?

Many political pundits, media experts, academics and researchers have offered hundreds of opinion pieces, articles, short films, documentaries and written books that carry warning shots; America is on the brink of revolution and breakup.

The "border standoff" between Texas and the government is reaching a "crescendo" while few experts are warning of breaking a civil war-like situation in every American state.

It is about time for the U.S. to reconstruct its image and rebuild its reputation abroad if it is still dreaming of being a great nation on planet Earth in decades to come. It is possible. Washington should also offer a sincere apology to those it hurt and make their life easier. Think about it. Everything is possible if we have a resolution.

I do believe that someday someone else will be writing about the fall of "Great America" and it would be no different than the following remarks: The Americans were heavily influenced by the Israeli lobby and by corporations to fight their wars in the Middle East and beyond for oil.

The U.S. has sold weapons for profit and was so busy that they did not have time to pay attention to unprivileged American’s problems nor spare money on human development programs.

Instead, they had invested in destroying humanity, and thus by doing so for a few decades, the U.S. finally collapsed for very little reason. "What goes around comes around," and for those who discredit this acronym think of the U.S. challenge of mass gun shootings. Take a deep breath and think of innocent people around the world who are victims of the U.S. wars, those who died and those disabled.