The age of American dominance ends as Iran stands firm, analyst says

In an opinion piece published Tuesday, Timofey Bordachev, programme director of the Valdai Club, argued that regardless of the war's formal outcome, its deeper meaning is already clear.

"Regardless of how the conflict between the United States and Iran formally concludes, its symbolism is already unmistakable," Bordachev wrote. "An ancient civilization, one of the oldest continuous states in human history, has emerged as the final obstacle to the project of American global dominance."

Bordachev contrasted the two nations' historical trajectories, describing Iran as "arguably the world's oldest centralized state, with roots stretching back to around 530 BC" that "has never ceased to exist as a unified political entity." The United States, by contrast, is "among the youngest major nations – barely 250 years old."

"The present conflict pits antiquity against modernity," he wrote.

While acknowledging America's overwhelming military capabilities — noting that the US is "the only country in history to have used nuclear weapons against civilian populations" — Bordachev argued that the long-term significance lies elsewhere. He described Iran as "a living embodiment of civilizational continuity" with "a depth of strategic thinking that few contemporary states can match."

According to the analyst, the United States achieved global dominance through "exceptional circumstances rather than intrinsic durability" — including the exhaustion of Western Europe after two world wars and the collapse of European empires. That illusion of American power, he said, "is now fading."

Bordachev pointed to America's internal political crisis, polarization, and narrowing strategic vision as evidence, adding that "even Western Europe, once firmly within the American orbit, is showing signs of resistance."

He concluded that Iran has become "the final weight that brings down a structure built on overreach and illusion," marking the true conclusion of the 20th century's era of ideological confrontation and single-power dominance.

"The world won't be the same," Bordachev wrote. "Not because of the destruction or the diplomacy that may follow, but because a fundamental idea — that of uncontested global hegemony — is losing its hold."