Pls help explaining one english sentence.I'm confused

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These depressing indicators—coupled with the rise of a confident 1 billion person India and China—have convinced the Obama administration that America is neither ‘exceptional’ nor able to assert its accustomed preeminent leadership. Decline, not American ascendance, is the administration’s buzzword, a pathology shared with the imploding welfare state of the European Union that can no longer afford the redistribution of wealth to its Mediterranean members.

The structure of sentence marked red is complicated and is difficult to understand for me.What does "American ascendance" mean? Is "Decline" or "American ascendance" the administration’s buzzword?
 
The sentence is poorly structured. It's arguing that, due to negative economic woes, decline is the new buzzword for the administration rather than the stereotypical American attitude of superiority and continued economic growth.

Edit: It's also associating this pathological change to the European Union, which can't "afford the redistribution of wealth to its Mediterranean members."
 
I assume this is to do with economy?

What it is trying to convey is that the American economy is going to decline rather than rebound as we come out the economic downturn.

If I restructure the sentence it may be better.

Administration companies in the US forsee a continuing decline within the economy opposed to growth, a pathology shared with the imploding welfare state of the European Union that can no longer afford the redistribution of wealth to its Mediterranean members.
 
bookmark said:
These depressing indicators—coupled with the rise of a confident 1 billion person India and China—have convinced the Obama administration that America is neither ‘exceptional’ nor able to assert its accustomed preeminent leadership. Decline, not American ascendance, is the administration’s buzzword, a pathology shared with the imploding welfare state of the European Union that can no longer afford the redistribution of wealth to its Mediterranean members.
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There are errors in both of the sentences above. They could make more sense if the sentences before and after were available.

The structure of sentence marked red is complicated and is difficult to understand for me.What does "American ascendance" mean?
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It means that America is more in decline than on the rise (on the rise = on the way up = gaining power = ascendance)

Is "Decline" or "
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American ascendance" the administration’s buzzword?
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Decline is the buzzword.
Ascendance is not the buzzword.
 
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