How the U.S. Can Still Defy the Declinists

The conspicuous failure of American hard power - in Iraq and Afghanistan - has tended to obscure the way American soft power has flourished over the past decade. For a while soft power was undercut because the U.S. reputation was tarnished, but the Arab awakening has demonstrated how powerful American-driven social media are in opening up closed societies. Facebook and Twitter have been conspicuous. But when I.B.M. invests massively in Africa - which it has identified as the next major emerging growth market - it is also investing in an openness that advances U.S. interests.