Will China replace America on the world stage?

In a Brookings podcast episode, historian Robert Kagan and co-hosts Ryan Hass and Jon Czin discuss the erosion of America's global leadership under the second Trump administration and its implications for China's role. Kagan argues that China cannot run the world unless it controls its own region. The conversation examines the internal U.S. debate over foreign policy commitments, the impact of the Iran war on global security and energy routes, and how Asian nations may respond to a less reliable U.S. guarantee of international waterways. The episode explores whether China is prepared or interested in assuming a larger global role as American leadership becomes less certain.