"...the U.S. is beginning to lose its ability to take the lead in global affairs."

Hey, I didn't say it. He did.
I don't think he's wrong, however.

The whole sentence reads "Well, I remain very skeptical about that and have concluded that in many ways what we are seeing now in the beginning of a process in which the U.S. is beginning to lose its ability to take the lead in global affairs."

I was hoping for shuttle diplomacy imediately after the Hamas kidnapping, before the hostilities triggered by the Hezbollah copy-cat kidnapping.

I will always wonder what might have happened -- or not happened -- had the US put some high-profile ambassadors on the case at that time. Instead, Washington's deafening silence was interpreted by Nasrallah to mean the US didn't want to intervene, even diplomatically. He proved to be correct, I suppose. So instead of winning a few PR points favoring peace, the US allowed Nasrallah to win counterpoints favoring what was advertised (and many bought) as "justice." There is little consolation in knowing that he was wrong. The moment has been forever lost to know if US diplomatic initiatives at that critical moment might have avoided the war now underway.