Unipolar Moment

We've always had time on our side
Now it's fading fast
--Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

In foreign affairs, the 'unipolar moment' represents the period following the collapse of the Soviet Union, leaving the world with a single dominant power: the United States. Lacking no like-sized competitor, the US would proceed to rule the globe, pursuing policies in its own interest regardless of the consequences.

This unfettered run is coming to an end.

As the influence of China has been rising, the unipolar moment has been fading. The US now faces a formidable peer on the world stage. No longer can the US do whatever it wants in an unchecked manner. It now has to take into account what China will do in response.

The Ukraine conflict clearly demonstrates. The US has assumed no thoughtful leadership role in ending the war. Instead it has become merely another of a partisan anti-Russian collective that levies insults and sanctions.

Increasingly, it appears that China that is the adult in the room. China has remained neutral and appears unmoved by the shrill tirades and threats emanating from the West.

China's ambassador to the US offered an excellent example of his country's position in a recent interview. When asked by a commentator on Face the Nation why he wouldn't condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine (condemnation, of course, representing a norm for shouting down behavior that  juvenile collectives dislike, the ambassador replied:

"Don't be naive. Condemnation does not solve the problem."

Zing. That's what a grown up says.

As the US behaves more like a child, China acts more mature on the world stage.

By definition, moments are brief. The unipolar moment, as it pertains to US hegemony, has come and gone.