But the Decline of the United States is not as much cause for celebration as many who have criticized it would like to think. The rising powers are even less likely to take human rights into consideration than the US was. Russia supports a dictator next door in Belorussia while it invades Georgia, and the Chinese occupy Tibet while they do business with genocidal regimes such as Sudan. The American Hydra may be humbled, but other beasts will take its place. And they will be far less tolerant of criticism, from its own people as well as from abroad.
The tragedy of the American Century is not that so much power was concentrated in the US, but how badly that power was abused. It may not yet be time to forgive the United States. But perhaps we will soon start to miss them.
I'll be back later to comment on this.
No comments:
Post a Comment