I've also read Friedman's work and tend to agree with a lot of his points. However, what we've started seeing for some years now is a severe degradation of the

I've also read Friedman's work and tend to agree with a lot of his points. However, what we've started seeing for some years now is a severe degradation of the US's soft power. The hard power is still there and the US will probably make more and more use of it in order to keep other countries (or its own population) under control. For the rest of the world (and for a significant part of the US population) this will make life more unpleasant, but at the same time will help dispel any lingering illusions about the benevolent or fair nature of American power.