Heavy dose of skepticism with this article. The guy is from the Atlantic Council, which is a lobby paid by the military industrial complex.

The average age of a nuclear reactor in the U.S. is 40 years old, meaning Russia and China have been able to take advantage of (often American) research into better reactors. The emerging technology of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and advanced generation four reactors are being embraced far quicker in China and Russia than in the U.S.

Needless to say, the US media isn't going to discuss how it lied about Russia being "gas station masquerading as a country". It's winning a technology race.

What was once introduced to prevent government planners from running roughshod over communities has become a tool of privileged interests to block construction. This over-regulation does not protect the environment and deters private investment in green energy.

Now here is where I disagree. Libertarians are always going to blame government for the failures of the greed of the rich. It's their scapegoat. If they hate big government, they'd be horrified at how big the government is in China. Oh and they pay indirectly for the salaries of the Atlantic Council from which this author is employed.

It's that the US economy is financialized, it's education system sucks, and the US has lost competence at building infrastructure.