By Ali Aziz:

America inherited global leadership from Britain at the dawn of the 20th century, a position cemented during World War II. Then, the world began to divide into two camps: the liberal capitalist bloc led by America and the communist socialist bloc led by the Soviet Union. However, Soviet communist influence was mainly limited to military and ideological power. At the same time, American leadership was comprehensive, covering social, commercial, economic, media, scientific, and intellectual influence, alongside military and ideological dominance. The lifestyle that emerged from the rise of the socialist bloc was not compelling enough for the world’s populations to adopt, as the people of the Soviet Union endured extreme poverty, suppression of freedom, and widespread backwardness. This disparity fostered a natural division between the two blocs in the eyes of the world’s peoples. In other words, the superiority of Western civilisation became undeniable and unrivalled. Since the collapse of the socialist bloc in 1990, it has become clear that the world’s peoples are gravitating towards liberalism, free markets, democratic transfers of power, and social models that emulate the Western way of life. This trend is now evident, with many embracing liberalism as a way of life, as described by the Australian academic Alexander Lefebvre.