Published On 7/6/2026
It is not easy to condense a quarter of a millennium of US history into one novel.
That is why Al Jazeera Net chose, on the 250th anniversary of the founding of America, not to search for a single answer, but rather for a group of answers, some of which declare that the United States is still at the peak of its ability, others see that it is approaching the end of its century, while others return to history, religion, and wars to understand what American power has become.
In this file, former officials, historians, economists, diplomats, and researchers from different schools of thought and politics write.
They are not united by a single position on the United States, but rather by the weight of experience, the breadth of academic and political presence, and the desire to re-ask the question that returns today with urgency: What remains of the American idea 250 years after its birth?
The file does not just ask this question, but rather presents it through the opinion portal on Al Jazeera Net, which brings together in this issue a number of its most prominent international writers and guests. From heads of research institutions, former advisors to presidents, diplomats, historians, economists, and experts in international relations and religion.
These articles allow the reader to move between conflicting visions written by their authors using their names and experiences, with the ability to read each article separately, or follow the entire file as an intellectual dialogue with multiple voices about the United States in its 250th year.
The former advisor to US President George W. Bush, a former official in the National Security Council and the Pentagon, and one of the most prominent researchers in national security and American foreign policy, writes in defense of the United States’ ability to renew itself, and refuses to accept that its era has passed.
Jeffrey Sachs, professor of economics and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, a former advisor to the United Nations, and one of the most famous economists in the world, returned – in a joint article with Sibylle Fares – to turning points in American politics, searching for the moment in which the path of decline began.
As for Sibyl, she is a senior advisor at the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and she shared a reading with Jeffrey Sachs that links Washington’s options after the Cold War with the transformations that the international system is witnessing today.
Christoph Heusgen… Europe talks about its old ally
The former president of the Munich Security Conference, and the former foreign policy advisor to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, spoke – in an article to be published soon – about the future of the transatlantic relationship, at a time when international transformations are redrawing the boundaries of the partnership between Washington and European capitals.
Esposito…the historian searching for a forgotten America
As for John Esposito, professor of international affairs and Islamic studies at Georgetown University, founder of the Center for Islamic-Christian Understanding, and one of the most prominent specialists in Islam and the West, he rediscovered – in a soon-to-be published article – the Islamic roots in American history, and read an aspect that is less present in the traditional narrative of the emergence of the United States.
The Moroccan historian, thinker, and former official spokesman for the Royal Palace, Hassan Aourid, enriched the file with a reading that starts from the Arab region and attempts to understand the transformations that have occurred in the image and status of the United States, in light of the wars and crises that have reshaped the international system.
Kortunov.. A Russian eye on the American century
As for Andrei Kortunov, former Director General and Scientific Supervisor of the Russian Council for International Affairs, and one of the most prominent Russian analysts of international relations, he spoke – in an article to be published soon – about the position of the United States from the perspective of major shifts in the global balance of power.
This article brings together Ivana Nikolic, president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and Peter Kuznik, professor of history at American University in Washington.
In their article, they discuss questioning the founding narrative of the United States, from genocide and slavery to the nuclear legacy that continues to shape international politics.
Azza Karam…the religion that participated in politics
Azza Karam, an Egyptian academic and international expert in matters of religion and public policy, and former rapporteur for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, spoke about the complex relationship between Christianity and the American state, and how the faith transformed, at different stages, into a source of inspiration and a tool of influence at the same time.
She highlighted – in an article to be published soon – that when the church focused on service, it was more capable of gathering people and guiding them, but when it adopted political positions, it lost its influence.
Kuwaiti journalist Saleh Al-Mutairi spoke in his article that recent developments require a review of the relationship between the Gulf states and the American ally, governed by national interest calculations, regional security balances, and accelerating transformations in the structure of the international system.
He said that the blame directed by an ally towards his ally should not be interpreted as a crisis in the relationship, but rather as an attempt to correct its course before the gap of trust widens.
