In the past, the United States confronted rival advances with urgency, discipline, and innovation. When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957 🚀, Washington did not dismiss it as a stunt. Instead, it became the catalyst for sweeping change: NASA, DARPA, and unprecedented investment in science and education. This was change management at the national level ✅ an honest recognition of a gap, followed by decisive action to close it.
Today, that ethos has withered. Faced with China’s rapid progress in technology and military capability 🇨🇳, many in the U.S. retreat into denial. Chinese achievements are dismissed as propaganda, CGI, or “fake.” At home, energy is consumed by partisan infighting ⚔️. The reflex is no longer to adapt but to spin 🔄 .
This evolution from change management to spin management reveals a deeper crisis of confidence. America once embodied the Protestant work ethic ✝️ resilience, sacrifice, and renewal. Until that mindset shifts back, the nation’s capacity to lead will continue to erode ❌ not because rivals are inherently stronger, but because America has abandoned the very tools of renewal that once made it formidable.
