John Young writes: (quoting me)
of the U.S.S.R. as a superpower, the world is "unipolar" in terms of real superpower force. The U.S. can throw its weight around, encouraging compliance with U.S. polices in most areas. Everything from abortion policy to banking secrecy laws to key escrow.
(I'm not saying the U.S. threatens force against, say, Luxembourg or Italy, just that the pressures to go along with the U.S. New World Order are strong.
Tim, would you expand the link to crypto of unipolar superpower?
I'm not sure what John wants me to expand on here. Others have noted the same sorts of things. Here are some random, brief points: * U.S. is only remaining superpower. Soviet weapons disintegrating, rusting, becoming impossible to use. Soviet non-nuke weapons also declining. (Gulf War outcome.) * U.S. law enforcement (FBI, DEA, CIA, NSA) throws weight around with Interpol, with Latin America (War on Drugs, Peru, Columbia, etc.), FBI Director Louis Freeh travels to Russia to coordinate. Russia, flat on its back, naturally acquiesces. * U.S. tells the U.N. when to jump and how high. Only concession is that tell them how high in "meters" instead of in feet. Hence the rumblings from U.N. about Haiti invasion, Rwanda, Somalia, Cuba, etc. (In case of Haiti, no foreign aggression, so this is an unheard of extension of the charter.) * U.S. policy on birth control--which swings from one side to the other--is rammed down throat of other nations, via sanctions, aid, etc. * U.S. sits astride the world. U.S. orders the invasion of countries whose leaders it dislikes. (Lest I sound like a leftist, I'm not. I'm just seeing the full flowering of the American imperialist state, spreading its form of totalitarian government to other nations.) Is this enough of an expansion? --Tim May -- .......................................................................... Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero 408-688-5409 | knowledge, reputations, information markets, W.A.S.T.E.: Aptos, CA | black markets, collapse of governments. Higher Power: 2^859433 | Public Key: PGP and MailSafe available. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."