‘Cause the whole world loves it when you don’t get down
(Bah bah-da, bah bah, bah-da da)
And the whole world loves it when you make that sound
(Bah bah-da, bah bah, bah-da da)
And the whole world loves it when you’re in the news
(Bah bah-da, bah bah, bah-da da)
And the whole world loves it when you sang the blues
(Bah bah-da, bah bah, bah-da da)
— OutKast
I’m definitely not the first to say this, but until today I still believed democracy would win. Partly because, although fascism is the word of the day, I only loosely understood what it meant. Other than the basic dictionary definition, I hadn’t dug deep. I didn’t know the history until I read an article on Substack by Chris Armitage titled, We Live in A Fascist Nation. What Now?
Inside was a chilling fact: fascism is undefeated. The scariest part? It has never been ousted through a democratic process. Once a fascist regime takes over, it has never been voted out. Why? Because the idea of “free & fair” elections becomes a fantasy when the regime controls all branches of government, the courts, law enforcement, and the no-longer-free press. At that point, elections are just theater.
Go down your own rabbit hole if you want to learn more about fascism. What I want to talk about is the rest of the world—who’s sitting on the sidelines laughing, popcorn in hand, rooting for America’s demise. “And the whole world loves it when you don’t get down…”
Think about it. Everybody low-key wants to see the great upset. When the #1 seed stumbles, numbers 2 and 3 are already prepping as the new favorites. Do you honestly think Russia and China are hoping America pulls itself together from this impending self-destruction? If they extend a hand, it will be to push us over the edge, not pull us back from it.
And while America eats itself from the inside, the rest of the world is making moves. Quietly, strategically, and sometimes not so quietly. They’re not just waiting for the empire to collapse; they’re preparing for the vacuum that will follow.
- China is laying down its Belt and Road like railroad tracks across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East — securing ports, mines, highways, and loyalty. They’re building a new Silk Road while America is stuck arguing over potholes.
- Russia is testing the limits of global patience, carving territory where it can, betting that America’s fractured politics means no unified pushback.
- The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa — with new members joining) are building economic frameworks designed to weaken the U.S. dollar’s chokehold on global trade. When the dollar falls, they want to be holding the new cards.
- Europe, even with its divisions, is hedging. Building defense coalitions, strengthening energy independence, and positioning for a world where NATO might not mean what it used to.
- The Global South is finding its voice, aligning with whichever power gives the best deal — often not America.
It’s not that these countries want America’s collapse out of malice (though some do), it’s that they see inevitability. They see the cracks in the foundation, they see the house on fire and our neighbors north and south are so sick of Trump they may tell us their hoses don’t work. Still our adversaries have the gas cans ready.
History has already written the blueprint. Every empire thought it was different, thought it would last forever — until it didn’t.
- Rome rotted from within long before the barbarians stormed the gates. Corruption, civil wars, and economic collapse weakened it until the “eternal city” became just another kingdom among many.
- The British Empire stretched across the globe, but two world wars and the rise of independence movements stripped it down. The sun set on the empire, leaving behind broken colonies and lingering debts.
- The Ottoman Empire lasted six centuries, but nationalism and industrial modernity broke it apart. By World War I, it was carved up like spoils.
- The Soviet Union fell in living memory, not from an outside invasion but from economic stagnation, political repression, and the sheer weight of maintaining its illusion of power. One day it was the “other superpower,” the next day it was gone.
Every empire meets the same fate: overreach, corruption, or internal decay. The banners change, the accents change, the uniforms change — but the story never does.
And now America stands in that same shadow. Overstretched abroad, divided at home, drowning in debt, and flirting with fascism as if it were just another political flavor. The cracks are visible, the rot is spreading, and history doesn’t play favorites. Rome, Britain, the Ottomans, the Soviets — all of them thought they’d be the exception. America is no different.
So what happens when America finally implodes? When the fighting at home, the broken system, and the fascist grip reach their tipping point?
The first domino will be the dollar. Right now it’s the backbone of global trade. Oil, shipping, even black-market deals are settled in dollars. But when confidence collapses, nations will race to cash out. The BRICS bloc will push its alternative currency. China will demand trade in yuan. The U.S. won’t just lose prestige — it will lose the power to print money and control global markets.
The second domino will be the military. America’s armed forces are massive, but they’re stretched thin and funded by the very currency that will be collapsing. Bases across the globe will either pull back home (some to train weapons on their fellow Americans) or be abandoned. Allies who depended on U.S. protection will scramble — some cutting their own deals with China or Russia, others rearming at breakneck speed.
The third domino is the homeland. Everyday Americans are feeling the pain now. Next will come hyperinflation, shortages, blackouts, banks closing, jobs evaporating. What people thought only happened in “other” countries will happen in strip malls and suburbs. The divide between the haves and have-nots will become a chasm. The people in red hats will be shocked.
And then comes the world’s reaction. Some will celebrate openly. Enemies will test the waters — a cyberattack here, a land grab there. Others will move with caution, knowing that a wounded dog can still be dangerous. There will be sympathy from some quarters, but it will be tinged with relief, even satisfaction, that the “indispensable nation” is no longer indispensable.
America won’t disappear — empires rarely vanish overnight. But like Rome, it will fade, contract, and fracture. And the whole world will watch, mostly cheering, some mourning, all recalculating their place in the new world order.
History reminds us: there has never been a successful fascist country that rose to become the most powerful nation in the world. Fascism burns hot, but it always burns out. It leaves rubble, not renewal.
And yet here we are, with Trump bragging that America is the “hottest” thing in the world right now. He’s only missing one word. The hottest mess.
The whole world sees it. The whole world loves it. And the whole world is waiting to see how loud America sings the blues on its way down.
(Bah bah-da, bah bah, bah-da da)
