We are meant to be living in a multi-polar world, one where US power is waning, and
where countries reject the prying interference of the West. Except, erm, we aren’t. Today’s world looks exactly as it did yesterday.
First, many of the 20th century issues people thought would disappear – dictators, repression and democracy – remain as prevalent now as then. The Iraq War has tempered people’s appetite for humanitarian interventions without extinguishing it. The key difference seems to be that support is now minimal on the Left and still strong on the neo-con Right.
Everyone is also still focused on what the US will or will not do, even in Britain. When David Cameron took a courageous step and said he thought a no-fly zone should be considered, the newspapers have been quick to argue that he was slapped-down by the US, as if that were the ultimate test of a serious policy.
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