The burden on America (4)
I believe the answer is:
onus
'the burden' is the definition.
('onus' can be a synonym of 'burden')
'on america' is the wordplay.
'america' becomes 'us' (abbreviation for the United States).
'on'+'us'='ONUS'
(Other definitions for onus that I've seen before include "Obligation - charge" , "'Burden, load (4)'" , "Weight of responsibility" , "Capulet opponent (R&J)" , "Encumbrance" .)