Intelligence Squared

Is This the Twilight of American Supremacy? Simon Jenkins on Why the World Needs the USA

November 9, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • American success stems from the enduring, careful constitutional balance and compromise between state freedoms and federal rule, a tension that has kept the union intact despite deep divisions. 
  • American history is poorly understood in the UK, often relying on biased media rather than proper historical education, leading to a lack of appreciation for the country's foundational compromises. 
  • Populist antagonism toward Washington D.C. and isolationism is a long-standing strain in American politics, exemplified by George Washington's plea against foreign entanglements, which periodically resurfaces, as seen with Donald Trump. 

Segments

Sponsor Read: Indeed Hiring
Copied to clipboard!
(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Indeed sponsored jobs yield 45% more applications than non-sponsored jobs, and listeners can receive a $75 credit.
  • Summary: Indeed is promoted as a fast hiring solution where sponsored jobs significantly boost visibility and application rates. Listeners of Intelligence Squared can receive a $75 sponsored job credit by visiting the specific URL. The platform claims 23 hires were made worldwide in the minute the ad ran.
Sponsor Read: Shopify
Copied to clipboard!
(00:01:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Shopify is the commerce platform supporting millions of businesses, offering a free trial for entrepreneurs preparing for Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
  • Summary: Shopify is positioned as the commerce platform for businesses ranging from major names to first-time entrepreneurs. The platform encourages new users to sign up for a free trial to prepare for the holiday shopping season. Entrepreneurs can access the trial via a specific promotional link.
Introduction and American Success
Copied to clipboard!
(00:02:26)
  • Key Takeaway: The US success stems from balancing state freedoms and federal interests, enabling survival through civil war and subsequent prosperity.
  • Summary: The episode introduces historian Simon Jenkins, who discusses the US approaching its 250th birthday in 2026. Jenkins argues America’s global dominance arose from its unique balancing act between state and federal powers. This structure allowed the fifty distinct states to survive internal conflict and prosper.
Jenkins’ Background and Interest
Copied to clipboard!
(00:03:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Simon Jenkins’ lifelong fascination with America stems from personal connections, including his father teaching at Princeton and his first wife being American.
  • Summary: Jenkins has always felt transatlantic, having spent time in America as a child while his father was an academic at Princeton. He has visited the country annually and wrote his book, A Short History of America from Tea Party to Trump, to provide a concise history for general readers, contrasting with overly long academic texts.
Teaching History and Ignorance
Copied to clipboard!
(00:05:16)
  • Key Takeaway: American history is appallingly badly taught in the UK, and reliance on media provides a highly biased view of the world for both Americans and Britons.
  • Summary: Jenkins criticizes the poor teaching of American history in the UK, noting that people often gain their understanding of the world solely through biased news inputs. He observes a reciprocal ignorance, noting Americans often know little about Europe due to reliance on sources like Fox News. His book aims to provide the essential historical truth concisely.
Jamestown and Two Americas
Copied to clipboard!
(00:07:08)
  • Key Takeaway: The future United States was founded on the critical tension between two distinct colonial Americas: the gentry-led, servant/slave-employing Virginia model and the hardworking, self-sufficient Massachusetts Puritan model.
  • Summary: Jenkins emphasizes understanding pre-European America, noting Cahokia was once larger than medieval Paris or London. The critical European division was between Virginia (gentry, servants, basis of slavery) and Massachusetts (assiduously Protestant, self-working). The present America is a product of the compromise between these two fundamentally different origins.
Admiration for Independence
Copied to clipboard!
(00:09:37)
  • Key Takeaway: American independence merits admiration because Virginia’s educated gentry, steeped in classical republicanism, successfully navigated the political conversation through compromise with the Massachusetts Protestants.
  • Summary: Virginia, being the core of early America, produced intelligent, educated men who led the independence movement, needing to keep the Massachusetts Protestants aligned. This process involved constant compromise, building on concepts of Greek democracy and Roman republicanism, which prevented the chaos seen in contemporary France.
Tocqueville’s Characterization
Copied to clipboard!
(00:11:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Alexis de Tocqueville’s observation that the American is ’the Englishman left to himself’ refers to possessing English qualities without the constraints of the British monarchy.
  • Summary: Tocqueville viewed the contemporary Britain he observed as constrained by monarchy, contrasting it with the freedom Americans experienced. A more accurate quote, according to Jenkins, is that American politics defaults to the mob, whereas British politics defaults to the club (Westminster apparatchiks). This distinction highlights fundamental differences in political culture.
US vs. European Government Conception
Copied to clipboard!
(00:12:29)
  • Key Takeaway: The core distinction between American and European views on government stems from America’s embedded constitutional tension between state rule and federal rule, which is absent in the UK.
  • Summary: Understanding America requires recognizing the concept of ‘states plural’ and the inherent tension between state and federal authority embedded in the Constitution. This state-federal compromise dictates differing expectations regarding the role of government, unlike the centralized system in Britain. This constitutional structure mandates state approval for changes and defines state rights.
Reconstruction Era Importance
Copied to clipboard!
(00:14:36)
  • Key Takeaway: The failure of the North to fully confront the legacy of slavery during Reconstruction, opting instead for compromise to preserve the union, set a precedent for later political compromises.
  • Summary: The Civil War was overwhelmingly won by the North, but Reconstruction failed to fully resolve the legacy of the South, leading to continued discrimination and segregation (virtual serfdom) until the 1960s. This pattern of compromise to prevent the union from breaking up—seen again with lobbying power preventing national healthcare—is a recurring theme in American history.
Instrumental Presidents
Copied to clipboard!
(00:18:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Abraham Lincoln was a genius compromiser essential for the union’s survival, while Teddy Roosevelt was an extraordinary figure whose potential long tenure could have built a vast American empire.
  • Summary: Jenkins admires Lincoln for his crucial role in preserving the union through compromise, despite his weaknesses. He finds Teddy Roosevelt fascinating, suggesting that without term limits, Roosevelt might have expanded American influence significantly into Central America. America has often avoided overly clever presidents, favoring a pattern of a talented leader following a less talented one.
Trump Era Parallels
Copied to clipboard!
(00:20:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The current political moment under Donald Trump shares characteristics with the reactionary period under Andrew Johnson after Reconstruction, marked by isolationism and a desire to roll back progress.
  • Summary: Jenkins views Trump as a strange, egotistical character rather than a pure ideologue, noting his actions are short-term focused. The period most resembling the current one is the reaction following Lincoln, under Andrew Johnson, characterized by deep reaction and isolationism. This populist, anti-establishment line has appeared repeatedly, often warning against liberal federalism.
Populism and Isolationism
Copied to clipboard!
(00:23:02)
  • Key Takeaway: The populist, isolationist strain in American politics is a long-standing feature, forcing leaders like Woodrow Wilson and FDR to break campaign promises regarding foreign war involvement.
  • Summary: George Washington warned against meddling in European affairs, establishing a strong isolationist sentiment among the American people, who often distrust the liberal intelligentsia of places like New York. This sentiment is so strong that leaders like Wilson and FDR had to promise non-involvement before being elected. Trump acts as a corrective, reminding people that the US is not just Washington or New York.
Best Case Scenario Post-Trump
Copied to clipboard!
(00:27:44)
  • Key Takeaway: The best case scenario is Trump leaving office in three years, but his tenure forces necessary questions about defense spending (NATO) and prompts America to guide the world through technological challenges like AI.
  • Summary: Jenkins hopes Trump departs soon, but acknowledges his tenure forced necessary questions about long-standing defense commitments like NATO. He is more concerned about the capacity of new technology, like AI, to mess up lives than the Pentagon’s power. America’s capacity for innovation, seen historically in manufacturing and culture, suggests it will guide the world through these technological shifts.
Lessons for the UK Union
Copied to clipboard!
(00:30:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The UK should learn from America’s union by remembering that every voter matters and by addressing the dominance of London, which is causing separatist parties to gain ground in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
  • Summary: American politics defaults to choosing a populist when things go wrong, whereas British politics defaults to the Westminster club choosing an apparatchik leader. Jenkins finds the UK’s union unsatisfactory, noting the dominance of London and the neglect of poorer northern regions. This neglect has empowered separatist parties across Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, a situation America has historically managed better.
America’s Astonishing Achievement
Copied to clipboard!
(00:33:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The US Constitution’s success, born from a determination to live together through compromise and energy, stands as an astonishing example to the world, and its cessation would be a global catastrophe.
  • Summary: The American achievement is astonishing because diverse peoples have managed to live together relatively peacefully and prosperously for 250 years through compromise. America remains the world’s citadel of freedom and the richest country, capable of aiding poorer nations. If the US ceased to exist, there is no other nation imaginable that could take its place as a global example of stable freedom.
Sponsor Read: Granger
Copied to clipboard!
(00:35:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Granger provides custodial supervisors with necessary supplies, like disinfectants and tissues, to help keep schools healthy during cold and flu season.
  • Summary: A custodial supervisor relies on Granger to maintain stock of essential cleaning and health supplies to ensure students and staff stay healthy. Granger is positioned as the partner for those who ‘get it done’ in facility management.