The debate over whether or not the United States is losing its global influence and moving away from its role of leadership in the international system has moved more to a discussion of just how far and how fast it is falling, and what that means for how the rest of the world structures its relationships and disputes.

This process, which was well underway before the 2016 election of President Donald Trump, has recently been accelerated in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to a number of observers.

In this episode of Departures, Robert Amsterdam invites authors Alexander Cooley and Daniel Nexon to respond to these events and share the insights featured in their new book, "Exit from Hegemony: The Unraveling of the American Global Order."