The whole situation just goes to show that as unpopular as imperialism is, when you withdraw the influence of the global empire in particular sphere of influence or region, often they will just be at the mercy of whatever regional power they fall under, rather than being autonomous.
We thought when Britain gave up Hong Kong as a colony that was paving the way for their independent future. China has other ideas, and it's their sphere of influence.
Same with what happened after the cold war died down, we got distracted and bogged down by middle eastern wars. Russia decided to go ahead and invade Georgia and then later annex Crimea.
It's tempting to think if we just stopped all this evil empire **** the world would be a better place. Yet we're only one player in a league of aspiring empires. Having the top player withdraw doesn't stop the game.
|