Priceless Primacy or Sucker’s Deal? American "Benevolence" and the Cost of Hegemony

Is the US a global benefactor, being played for a fool, or — on the contrary — a masterful deal-hunter? Against the backdrop of fiery political claims that the U.S. is hemorrhaging wealth through lopsided trade deals and carrying NATO on its back, we take a longer horizon view. We unpack the drama, challenge the narratives, and analyze whether the U.S. “benevolence” post-WWII is what has made it a savvy superpower or if it makes it the world’s biggest pushover.