In the 1970's sense of decline from rapid rise of crime, poor economic performances and a weakening of the government. Watching a few of those films from that period just seem to predict that the US collpasing into lawlessness/extreme dictatorship was only decades away and it's always rather interested me.
Granted, in such a scenario, the USSR would probably move in unless Europe really got its act together but what events could happen to see the US slide into general lawlessness and division that would render it an almost failed state without going into ASB territory, if possible?