ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the post–Cold War period from two perspectives. The first is the impact of the fundamental change events on the operation of world politics. The second is the contrasting views of how the United States should deal with the changes based on differing perceptions about the nature and degree of change. The ascendancy of terrorism has been accompanied by the realization that the United States is locked in a new and different kind of war, a theme raised shortly after September 11 by the Bush administration and dutifully adopted by the media. The actions they undertake are outrageous by Western standards and lead Western military officials to hold terrorists in disdain and contempt, even as cowardly. The idea of this century as an “Asian Century” began to gain supporters in the 1990s, and during his presidency, Barack Obama talked about a tilt in foreign and national security policy away from traditional concerns toward Asia.
