Discussions of American power are prone to(易于…的；有…倾向的) hyperbole(夸张（修辞）). In his first inauguration speech, in 2017, Donald Trump lamented “American carnage(特朗普首次就职演说中的标志性短语)”. In his second, in 2025, he declared that “America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth.” Americans themselves are gloomy(悲观的；沮丧的) about their country’s role on the global stage. Six in ten now think that, by 2050, their country will be “less important in the world” than today. But has America’s global power actually been in decline? And what is the nature of American strength? These are questions on which many politicians offer opinions, which in turn can help win elections, guide policy and reshape the world.(这些是许多政客发表看法的问题，而这些看法反过来又能帮助赢得选举、指导政策并重塑世界。)
关于美国实力的讨论往往流于夸张。2017年，唐纳德·特朗普在其首次就职演说中哀叹“美国浩劫”。2025年，他在第二次就职时宣称“美国将重获其作为地球上最伟大、最强大、最受尊敬国家的应有地位”。美国人自己对本国在全球舞台上的角色感到悲观。如今十分之六的人认为，到2050年，他们的国家将比现在“在世界上的重要性更低”。但美国的全球实力真的在衰落吗？美国力量的本质又是什么？许多政客对这些问题发表看法，而这些看法反过来又可能帮助赢得选举、指导政策并重塑世界。
So, to mark America’s 250th anniversary, The Economist set out to(着手；开始做某事) move from the subjective to the quantifiable, with an empirical(实证的；以经验为依据的) examination of America’s global might(力量；威力). Economically, militarily and technologically, the country is richer, stronger and cleverer than ever. However its relative position is not what it was. We find that, by the numbers, its dominance appears to be eroding—with decisions being made now that may bulk up(增强；加大) some forms of power and starve others.
因此，为纪念美国250周年，《经济学人》着手从主观转向可量化，对美国全球实力进行实证考察。在经济、军事和科技方面，这个国家比以往任何时候都更富裕、更强大、更聪明。但其相对地位已大不如前。我们发现，从数据看，它的主导地位似乎正在削弱——眼下所做的决策可能会增强某些形式的实力，同时削弱其他形式。
The nation’s rocketing(飞速上升的) trajectory(轨迹；发展路径) can be tracked most easily through the rise of its economy. In 1820, the year in which comparable economic figures began, America was a small country of roughly 10m people, including European settlers, slaves and native Americans. Its land area was less than half its current size; its economy about one-tenth that of the British Empire, itself overshadowed by Qing-dynasty China, which controlled roughly a quarter of the world’s economic output.(其土地面积不到现在的一半；经济规模约为大英帝国的十分之一，而大英帝国本身又笼罩在清朝中国的阴影之下，后者控制着全球约四分之一的经济产出。)
这个国家飞速上升的轨迹最容易通过经济增长来追踪。1820年，可比较的经济数据开始出现，当时美国还是一个大约1000万人口的小国，包括欧洲定居者、奴隶和美洲原住民。其国土面积不足现在的一半；经济规模约为大英帝国的十分之一，而大英帝国本身在清朝中国面前黯然失色，当时中国控制了全球约四分之一的经济产出。
Carnage v comeback
浩劫vs复兴
