America has played a role on the world stage from the end of the Second World War to the present but how has that role changed and evolved over time and what is America’s position on the world stage today? This lecture will endeavour to examine various aspects of American power that we must consider in order to answer this question. We will consider America’s economic, political, military, geopolitical, and cultural power and how all of these have contributed to America being a dominant force globally since 1945. We will also consider if these are enough to keep America’s position as a global power or indeed if America wants to remain the same global power that in became in the second half of the twentieth century.

**This is a once-off taster lecture offered as part of Taster Week August 2025