The End of American Empire?

  Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, Daniel Ortega, the Castro brothers, Ecuador's Correa and several other leaders in Latin America all have something very much in common: Not only are they "anti-American," but they are all standing up to the "Empire of the North" (the USA) and speaking out about a need for a new world order no longer based on American hegemony. In this regard, they have a lot in common with Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other leaders in the Arab world. It is little wonder, then, that Ahmadinejad is warming up to these regional leaders. See this Christian Science Monitor story for a little background.
  Americans do not like to think of themselves are imperialists, but that is more or less what we have created since the end of World War I: an American Empire. For decades we have held sway in the Middle East, dominated nations in Latin America, and considered ourselves the "world's only superpower." We often bully our way through multi-lateral agencies such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States, but things are changing. Slowly, ever so slowly, we are coming around to the fact that this is no longer a world dominated by America or its business interests. The result? Having to deal with countries like Iran, and having to put up with leaders like Chavez and Ortega, et.al.