It seems increasingly clear that we must say goodbye to the unipolar world in which the world has lived for the last 25 years. Obama's United States, traumatized and with signs of fatigue from the Iraq War and the 2008 financial crisis, has indicated the limits of its power and influence, inviting European and Asian allies to assume a greater share of the responsibility and weight that global leadership involves. However, this moment has come at the worst possible time; Europe and Japan are mired in endless economic and political crises, with the result that the US is playing a reduced role on the international stage, while, at the same time, no other democracy has stepped forward to take part in the relief effort. But the stage is not empty. Neither Europe nor the UN have the will, consensus or resources to act as decisively on the world stage as Washington has done in the past sixty years.

Taking advantage of the new space that Washington has ceded, countries like China and Russia have seen their power of influence increased regionally and globally. Needless to say, these countries have an agenda that is very different from what the United States and Europe seek to promote in the world; the expansion of their political and economic power takes precedence over any consideration of human and democratic rights. In many cases, the expansion of their influence into areas such as Central Asia, Africa or Eastern Europe leads to increased instability accompanied by the strengthening of dictatorships and the undermining of democratic systems.

This is one of the main lessons that Europe has learned in recent months: when the US plays a lesser role on the world stage does not automatically translate into greater participation and cooperation between medium and small countries, but rather increased power and influence of other major powers, such as Russia and China.

It is expected that Russian territorial annexations will continue, while China continues to coercively impose its will on its neighbors in different border disputes. Who can stop the expansionist ambitions of these countries? Who can continue to promote the expansion of democracy in the world? With America's willingness to be the promoter of democracy in doubt, Western rivals have shown themselves bolder and more resolute. The United States seems unwilling to bolster its allies against the pressing threats that they face, while, at the same time, enemies of the West are no longer frightened by American retaliation.

A more chaotic world order in which stronger states impose their conditions on weaker ones will result from the United States' reluctance to remain the global policeman (a reluctance that both Obama and the Tea Party share). However, a passive pastor does not necessarily mean a more free and equal sheep, but rather presents a feast for the wolves. The economic system and world government promoted and supported by the United States was far from perfect or just, however, one must wonder what the decline of this system will bring or what its replacement by China or Russian-backed system has in store.