are probably that the leaders of the G8 countries agreed to cut
greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050, and that the leadership role
of the private sector in addressing environmental problems is increas-
ingly recognized.
Lastly, in the political sphere, the world today is more peaceful and
more democratic than ever before. This two-fold evolution actually
comes as no surprise to anyone aware of the well-established fact that
democracies do not wage war against each other. From a historical
perspective, what is most striking is that, despite a number of sig-
nificant crises, no conflict opposing major powers has erupted into
war in more than half a century. Also, contrary to a widespread
opinion, the number of wars has declined significantly since the fall of
the Berlin Wall. According to the most credible data available, there
were twenty-one major armed conflicts taking place in 2002 com-
pared to thirty-three in 1990.^36 Of course, there are still too many
civil wars going on, but on the whole the international system is safer
and less anarchic than in the past.
The prolonged stability of the international order can to a great
extent be attributed to the leadership of the United States. Given the
fact that no nation in modern history has wielded a military, eco-
nomic, technological, and cultural domination comparable to that of
the American superpower, especially since the end of the Cold War,
the United States is naturally subject to constant protestation and
criticism. Nevertheless, this country remains the only political player
able to answer the collective needs of the international community
in regard to security, trade, development, and the environment.^37
Neither Europe, nor China, nor Russia, nor the United Nations has the
resources necessary to fulfil this role. Those who contest US hegemony
do not realize that without this leadership the international system
would be faced with a dangerous power vacuum.^38 The resultant
“apolar” world would inevitably become more volatile and dangerous
than any of the international system’s historical configurations.
(^36) SIPRI,SIPRI Yearbook 2004: Armaments, Disarmaments and International
37 Security, Oxford University Press, 2004, p. 110, Table 2A.1.
Fareed Zakaria, “Hating America,”Foreign Policy, no. 144, September–
October 2004, 47–49.
(^38) Niall Ferguson, “A World without Power,”Foreign Policy, no. 143, July–
August 2004, 32–39; see also by the same authorColossus: The Price of
America’s Empire, New York, Penguin Press, 2004.
66 Left and Right in Global Politics