After the fall of the Soviet Union, it was expected that there would be a person of adjustment. And we do go through that in the 90s. And with the new millennium, it was sort of expected that we will enjoy a period of global peace.
Well, heck, it has not worked out that way. We had 9/11 and you know the rest of that history. And the war on terror is still going on and Al Qaeda and other groups are still trying to hurt us. But there is also something else happening that is sort of like the Cold War.
Whatever you want to call it, there are flare-ups all over the world. Maybe it started with the Arab Spring. And political adjustments are still happening on those countries. Egypt isn't the shining example of Middle Eastern democracy people expected. And of course, there is the Syrian civil war.
And that's not all. You've got Thailand and its growing violent protest that has been going on for months.
In our hemisphere, Venezuelans have taken to the streets and there is fear that a Syrian style uprise and a protracted struggle between the government and opposition could destabilize the region and possibly affect neighboring countries.
Oh yeah, let's not forget the Ukraine where political forces are right for the soul of the country, whether it'll rejoin the Russian sphere of influence that would allow Putin to recreate his dream of a Soviet-era like influence or join the West where dreams of prosperity are and no one knows if they'll ever be realized.
It has gotten more complicated. There are real problems that has to be resolved. With the Cold War, ethnic and religious conflicts were held in check by political ones but no longer. It's a scary and uncertain period in our history.
I'm sure we'll get through that but in what kind of shape remains to be seen. Oh, there's the issue of global warming which could exacerbate things before it gets better.
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