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  Xyleth

  4 years ago

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  The rest of the world, however, is finally learning how to stand on their own. We don't need a single super power anymore, the world is too diverse for that.
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  I think that hits the nail on the head. For the last 50/60 years we've been living in the shadow of WW2, one result of which was that the rest of the world looked to the US for leadership and support.
  
  With the cold war over and several generations between us and WW2 the world is starting to learn to stand on its own again.
  
  Another sign of this is the way Israel is viewed and treated by the international community. Once upon a time the critisim that Israel faces today on a regular basis would have been unthinkable. The memory of the horrors of WW2 were too close in our minds and people were simply too afraid to say anything. Now that is no longer true and people are beginning to wake up to the fact.
  
  It's also one of the reasons I think that a more integrated EU is not only desireable but a requirement if Europe is going to stand in the future. The only way we are going to be able to deal with emerging powers like China, Asia and the probable re-emergence of Russia is together and without the US.
  
  I think the next 50 years are going to be interesting because we are the first generation to grow up without the shadow of the Cold war or WW2 over our heads. We haven't grown up viewing the Americans as saviours who keep us free and safe and we've made peace with out past. As we grow older and move slowly into the positions of power in the world our outlook will be radically different to that of generations before us.
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