An arresting passage:
"Gen X generally distrusts institutions, including the federal government, It has suddenly become clear that the younger leadership of the Republican Party is not very interested in the United States' role in the world. Among Democrats there is a significant faction eager to intervene for humanitarian reasons, but they too seem to be losing ground. Suddenly, as the New York Times pointed out a couple of weeks ago, the United States has no way of stopping the religious war in the Middle East, fueled by Iran on one side and Saudi Arabia on the other. More than twenty years later it is clear that the collapse of the Soviet Union was not destined to lead to US hegemony. It was the beginning of a general decline or collapse of political authority in large parts of the world--a frightening yet totally unanticipated development, and one which we have no idea what to do about...."
I would just point out, that it is possible that these political developments were neither so sudden, in onset, nor as totally unanticipated, as he suggests here.
Even the collapse, 20 + years ago, or so, "...More than twenty years later it is clear...."
It was clear to some of us, at the time, at that moment.
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