There's hope that China or India might be able to lead better than the US, but there's also fear they could be worse. Certainly, Chinese and Indian histories are much different than America's, so their leadership would likely differ in significant ways. Then again, the temptation to corrupt ourselves with concentrated power is universal.

Pragmatism is about deciding which actions are most useful, whereas empiricism is about rationally justifying statements or beliefs by appealing to data (sense experience). They're not necessarily in conflict, but it's like comparing apples to oranges.

Mind you, you could also be pragmatic in epistemology, by deciding which beliefs to have based on their utility. That would make for a kind of Machiavellian or Trumpian insanity.