We know little about how the still-young 21st century will develop, but one thing is certain: It will not be the New American Century about which many were hopeful, and more were sure, just a few years ago. American power is vast and may yet grow by many measures, but the legitimacy of that power is waning, and with it the authority of both America’s word and its model. This is partly because of the Bush Administration, but the fundamental source lies much deeper: It is the de-Westernization of authority structures on a global scale and with it the undermining even of the operative definition of what constitutes political units.

If America will not be master of the 21st century, perhaps it will supply an organizing principle of a different kind. Perhaps this century will deserve the “Anti-American Century” label coined by the (pro-American) Bulgarian writer Ivan Krastev. Perhaps America will shape the world by providing an organizing catalyst “in opposition”, so to speak. And if that will be so, perhaps Krastev is right to fear that the 21st century will see “the end of the idea of the century of freedom....