The American Influences since 2001
The new year 2016 has come.
The most remarkable change is that the US has now an African American president. The second most remarkable change is seen in the Islamic world, which was triggered by the US military invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. The third one is China's rise as an economic and military power.
The first two great changes are uniquely related to the US. Racial aspects in the world have been influenced by the emergence of President Obama. It is positive. But due to America's War on Terror, a million or so Muslims lost lives and tens of millions have been inflicted great damage on. The rise of IS terrorists is ultimately ascribed to the American War on Terror. It is very negative. The two great changes triggered by the US in these 15 years is positive and negative.
But as for the rise of China as an economic power, both Japan and the US have played key roles, providing huge amounts of technical and financial aid in these decades. Japan has used cheaper Chinese labor force, relocating many factories from Japan to China or building new plants in China. Now China is not only a big factory in the world but also a big market for businesses of Japan and the US as well as the EU. The US has also supported Chinese economic growth partly to suppress Japan. The US wanted China to become an economic rival of Japan so as to lessen a possible threat from Japan to the US. The US thought that it could control Beijing, but now it is getting clear that China has no intention to follow Washington. Leveraging the past huge aid and support from Japan and the US, China is now trying to hold hegemony over Asia.
So, these 15 years have been under strong influences of the US.
For eight years since 2001 under the presidency of George Bush, the US launched the controversial War on Terror and triggered the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. And for the next seven years under the presidency of Barack Obama, the US rather gave chances for IS terrorists and Chinese hegemonic leaders to exercise their military power.
Therefore, who will be or should be elected as next US President really matters to the world. It is so still the US is the sole super-power in the world like the Roman Empire 2000 years ago, though the Empire was domed to collapse leaving the Vatican for the future generations.
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Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: