Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The New York Times (NYT) on Friday published an article in which political analyst in Myanmar U Aung Thu Nyein said the US "is a first-world country but it is acting like a third-world country." Mike Bradley, mayor of Sarnia, a Canadian city, said in the report that watching the current US is like "watching the decline of the Roman Empire." 

"This is the worst smearing of third-world countries," a Chinese netizen commented. Indeed, developing countries may lag behind the US in terms of economy and industrial modernization. But unlike the US, these countries do not "lead the world" in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, and they do not act perversely as some American politicians do. 

A recent Pew Research Center poll of 13 countries found that the US' international image has plummeted internationally as most countries, including the US' allies such as Canada, Japan, and Australia, believe the US has handled the epidemic badly. "Such global disapproval historically has applied to countries with less open political systems and strongmen in charge," the NYT report read.

However, the Trump administration has proven that a country's image has nothing to do with the so-called openness of its political system. Countries worldwide will have their basic judgments. 

Some American people have been proud to promote the American values of democracy and freedom to the world. But now, they find this does not work anymore because the world has changed. The so-called American values have deceived American people as well as the world. Now, the US' values are much too vulnerable, and the country's global leadership is declining.

At present, the US is unable to resolve its domestic problems including the raging epidemic, racial discrimination, social division and confrontation between political parties. Washington is trying to divert domestic resentment to the outside. This is a sign of the US' stagnation and its further decline.

The US used to be a model for many countries to follow. It was also a country that many students worldwide yearned for. But now, the most powerful country is fragile and chaotic, constantly disrupting social order. The Trump administration seems to be the biggest factor behind such changes.

However, the emergence of the Trump administration is not accidental. It is an inevitable product of the evolution of American civilization and its political system. If Trump were not elected, another similar politician would assume high office sooner or later. With globalization worsening various woes in American society, the US will eventually take off its hypocritical moral mask and reveal its true nature. The US does not want to spend a relatively long time to adapt to globalization. It hopes to adopt direct and rampant measures to prevent other countries from making progress and taking the lead. 

Facing various domestic problems and the embarrassing epidemic situation, the US is like a country entering its twilight years. Can the US be great again?