The Waning Myth of American Exceptionalism
How Foreign Setbacks and Self-Doubt Are Rewriting Our National Identity
The Meaning and Crisis of Exceptionalism
For nearly a century, American Exceptionalism has served as both a product of, and a directive for, the United States’ engagement in the world.
While patriotism is a love of country and nationalism a defense of sovereignty, American exceptionalism asserts a moral imperative: that the U.S. is not just different, but destined to lead. It is dependent on congruent action from the federal government – usually to stake claim to leadership or to intervene in a conflict – and mutual support from the nation’s citizenry.
Failures Abroad, Fractures at Home
Yet, after years of conducting a foreign policy deemed contrary to national interests, exceptionalism has lost its resonance among Americans, and its appeal among the international community. An abuse of the unipolar moment has brought the U.S. to a place of diminished trust and strategic overreach—where its claims to moral leadership ring hollow in the ears of both allies and adversaries. So, what is the state and purpose of American Exceptionalism after the American Century?
The pursuit of exceptionalism on the global stage was born in a bipolar world, where U.S. foreign policy positioned itself as the democratic counterweight to Soviet influence. But today, a string of failures—the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the inability to lead on climate diplomacy, a faltering pandemic response, and inconsistent positions on conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine—have eroded both moral authority and strategic cohesion. In their wake, rival powers have stepped confidently back into the void. And this time, American exceptionalism is no longer sufficient to anchor U.S. leadership in an emerging multipolar order.
Beyond its implications for global leadership, this erosion of exceptionalist ideology risks deepening domestic divisions and undermining the very societal cohesion that has long underpinned America’s role in the world. Ultimately, the erosion of our national self-image may well determine the extent of our retreat from global engagement – and the resilience of our democracy itself.
Yet, even as American Exceptionalism loses its luster at home and abroad, its foundational role in shaping alliances and projecting economic leadership has not been fully replaced. In a world where rival powers are eager to fill the vacuum left by U.S. retrenchment, the need for a renewed vision of American purpose—one that inspires trust, fosters cooperation, and upholds democratic values—remains more urgent than ever.
Soft Power, Democracy, and Renewal
Exceptionalism is inherently paradoxical. Rooted in both public sentiment and federal action, it thrives on the belief that a nation embodies unique, universal values while also being convinced of its irreplicability. When foreign policy falters or appears ineffective, public enthusiasm for global engagement declines, as recent trends indicate. This dynamic becomes especially pronounced under administrations that prioritize retrenchment and antagonism over sustained international leadership.
Notably, during periods marked by more aggressive and repressive domestic politics—such as the Trump administration’s current retreat from commitments to liberty and democracy—the erosion of these core exceptionalist values directly undermines societal integrity and, in turn, the nation’s sense of its own exceptionalism.
As Joseph Nye reflects in “The End of the Long American Century,” his first posthumous essay published in the June 2, 2025 issue of Foreign Affairs, “American soft power has had its ups and downs over the years… but soft power derives from a country’s society and culture, not just the actions of its government.” Even amid foreign policy missteps, America’s open civil society and vibrant culture have historically preserved its global appeal. Many argue, after all, that the Civil Rights Movement did more to strengthen America’s global standing during the Cold War than any military campaign, including Vietnam.
Yet, Nye warns, this soft power cannot survive if American democracy continues to erode and the nation acts as a bully abroad. Just as the dismantling of foreign assistance programs weakens our ability to project soft power abroad, so too does the federal constriction of research and academic freedom undermine our society’s capacity to generate the ideas, innovation, and cultural influence that underpin global leadership. The strength of our values at home—our willingness to accommodate dissent, protect civil liberties, and uphold the rule of law—remains the foundation of our influence in the world.
Yale historian and University of Toronto professor Timothy Snyder reminds us, in his meditations on tyranny, that vigilance is not only about guarding against threats from abroad, but about protecting democracy from those within who would exploit its freedoms to undermine it. “When we think of this saying today, we imagine our own righteous vigilance directed outward, against misguided and hostile others… But the sense of the saying was entirely different: that human nature is such that American democracy must be defended from Americans who would exploit its freedoms to bring about its end.”
Reflection in Transition
Thus, the future of American Exceptionalism lies at the intersection of foreign policy and soft power, and between global leadership and domestic democratic resilience. Only by renewing our commitment to liberty, democracy, and open debate at home can we hope to reclaim the moral authority and strategic cohesion that once defined our role in the world.
As Russian aggression continues to threaten our European allies, and Chinese expansionism tests the United States’ already fragile trade and security architecture in Southeast Asia, American exceptionalism – long an ethos for alliance-building and economic influence—remains indispensable. Yet America has had, and squandered, repeated opportunities to align its power with its principles on the global stage. This multipolar moment demands deft foreign policy, and, more importantly, introspection about the values capable of reinstilling trust among our contemporaries, and renewing stability both abroad and at home.