US Heading for Disintegration

The breakup of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War left only one military superpower standing – the United States. When the Soviet Union fell apart, many U.S. politicians breathed a big, collective sigh of relief. “We won the Cold War!” many thought. And with the Soviet Union gone, that pretty much left the world America’s for the taking. It should’ve made it much easier to spread American influence and American-style democracy around the world.

However, things haven’t quite turned out that way. Instead of America’s influence rapidly growing, it has been rapidly decreasing. The breaking of the Iron Curtain and the disintegration of the Soviet Union has enabled the countries of Europe to bond closer and are now on a road to creating a virtually a single European super-state. Whereas the Soviet Union once blocked the way, many of the European governments are now becoming to view American influence as the biggest obstacle toward the Europe Union’s ongoing efforts of bringing the peoples of Europe closer together. More of them are starting to view the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – NATO – as a Cold War relic that belongs in the history books along with “Warsaw Pact”.

And it is not just in Europe where U.S. influence is taking a heavy blow. Almost as soon as the Soviet Union fell apart the Philippines felt it no longer needed U.S. protection and promptly shut down all U.S. military bases on its soil. And where we were once seen as South Korea’s biggest protector against its psychopathic twin to the north, many in South Korea now view the U.S. as the main obstacle in the way of a peaceful reunification with North Korea. Other countries in Asia that would have depended somewhat on possible U.S. military assistance in the event of war have questioned continued U.S. influence in the region. Malaysia and Indonesia, for instance, have frequently accused Washington of meddling in the region.

In Latin America, many countries, led by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, are becoming more vocal in their criticism against the U.S. for trying to impose American-style politics in the region, especially where Cuba is concerned. While most of them cheered the U.S. on during the Cold War and credit U.S. foreign policy for helping contain the spread of communism and Soviet influence in Latin America, most now feel that its high time that Washington stopped flexing its political muscles in the region.

A few months ago one morning when I was at 24 Hour Fitness, four of us suddenly got into a conversation about the current state of affairs in the United States. One guy said that the U.S. is long-overdue for another revolution. And since the end of the Cold War, more divisions here in the United States have become increasingly evident.

Just like the Soviet Union just prior to the breakup, when, one-by-one, each former republic announced that it would no longer recognize Moscow’s authority, more states are beginning to set laws and ordinances with little regard to where the debate is swinging in Washington. And issues such as affirmative action, abortion, gay marriages and the right to die are exposing deep traditional divisions within the union. Some states have already flatly said that they will not recognize gay marriage certificates obtained in other states.

Maybe with the Cold War over this is some of the states’ way of telling Washington that its often heavy-handed authority is no longer needed.

Perhaps many of these are just small differences and maybe it is just paranoia but they reflect deep divides that can easily split apart such a large country. The current recession can also bode ill as some states suffer much higher unemployment rates as others. Not all states would be entirely happy with the prospect of having to help bail out others. Californians could easily be forgiven if they don’t want their tax dollars going toward helping Michigan get back on its feet.

The world has changed drastically in the nearly 20 years since the Soviet Union’s disintegration. Many attitudes have changed as well. When a bad superpower stood threatening to force its influence over the world it needed a good superpower to protect it. With that bad superpower gone, many feel that the remaining superpower is no longer needed.

But at least our disintegration would no doubt be far more peaceful than the Soviet Union’s. It would likely be clean and bloodless. Perhaps because, unlike during the Civil War, when only the South tried to break away, our future breakup will likely see more than one region withdraw from the union, making it somewhat more difficult to stop. Some individual states would likely even go their own separate paths to ensure that they will never have to answer to another central government located far from its border.

Of course, I, like most, hope that this will never occur.

ActionSammy,

(Feel free to comment, question or criticize me at actionsammy@yahoo.com. And be sure to look for my upcoming first book, First Degree Lust, an action/romance/mystery/thriller, in Spring 2010.)