From 9/11 2001 To 3/11 2011
The European-led civilization is now questioned in Japan and the Islamic nations.
In Japan, people have come to realize that modern science, technology, and business are all useless to prevent the great disaster from occurring at the most unlikely time.
In the Islamic nations, dictators and dictatorship having been bolstered by Western powers face collapse.
In the U.S., Hispanics population is growing at the highest pace among various ethnic groups.
At the start of 2010's, the world has come to start a great change of the old paradigm which has been built around the European technology, politics, and traditions.
If Europeans shout CO2 reduction for prevention of global warming, it will not work, since they do not sincerely try to abolish their way of material life: living based on modern technology, vastly imported energy, and globally deployed economy. Europeans want to keep a high standard of living while trying to avoid global warming. It is impossible. A high level of European living standard can be sustained by a huge energy use, aggressive applications of technology, and insatiable pursue of wealth through global business. It is not CO2 but desires of Europeans to keep a high living standard that is making the earth heated. (A nuclear power plant accident in Japan, triggered by the great tsunami on March 11, is therefore significant in this context related to CO2 reduction technology.)
Japan is the nation that has absorbed, applied, and advanced European science and technology the most in the world outside Europe and North America.
The Islamic nations have been offering oil and gas to Europe, North America, and Japan for so long. But, to be stable energy sources, they have to be controlled by European and American Christians politically. To control one dictator is easier than control tens of millions of people in a nation. So, Western powers accept dictatorship in the Middle East and North Africa.
The U.S. has been under the spirit of anti-Vatican Christians whose ancestors left Europe for various reasons, including religion and politics. But the era of dominance by Anglo-Saxon or North European Americans come to be ending. The President is always an African American. Hispanics are increasing in a number. Chinese will be also moving to America. The U.S. will inevitably lose its traditional roots. Accordingly, a paradigm in pursuing technological and political success might change. They will not pursue material American Dream like pure descendants of North Europeans as before any more.
The 2000's virtually started with the 9/11, 2001, Terror on the East Coast of America.
The 2010's seems to have virtually started with the 3/11, 2011 Tsunami on the Northeast Coast of Japan.
Indeed, it is 10 and a half years, since September 11, 2001.
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On January 17, 1991, the U.S. started all-out air-raid attacks in the Persian Gulf, bombing Iraqi troops.
It opened a new era of 1990's when the Soviet Union collapsed, Japan and the U.S. competed fiercely on technology and money, and China was getting ready for rapid economic growth.
(To be continued...)
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Former Defense Minister of Japan Ms. Yuriko Koike met with Mr. Gaddafi in November 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzG9ztnBOZo&feature=related
Just for curiosity, though in case.