Unipower

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990 there was for the first time in history a unipower world. The United States was the super power. The US then felt obligated to turn the rest of the world into a liberal democracy. Recall when the people of Iraq were going around showing off their purple thumbs proving they voted. The point is that these people weren't ready for a liberal democracy. They were still bound by the old tribal ways much like Afghanistan. After these severe blunders the US learned an important lesson, that not all countries are ready for democracy. During the super power years the US brought China out of poverty by forcing the Chinese government to allow for free markets and these markets quickly performed their magic and China is today a world power. The US is now in the process of retrenching and moving away from globalism. As China loses the US consumer market and they face their own demographic problems (too few workers) they will slip into decline. Other countries in the region, like Vietnam and South Korea will compete with China for the European market. The US with the help of Mexico will grow stronger and keep its good trade relations with Europe most importantly England. Historians call the 20th century the US century and it is shaping up that the US will also be the leader in the 21st century.