Quote of the day

[F]or all its horrors, the Cold War was a system of international security. The world was dominated by the United States and the Soviet Union, and the countries in between often subordinated their own interests to accommodate—in the West by choice, in the East by force—the interests of their superpower protector. When the USSR evaporated, we didn't step into the vacuum; the vacuum expanded. Old allies realized they could go their own ways and pursue their own interests with less regard for what Washington thought. Other powers—China especially—moved up in the world, offering alternative alignments. (Fred Kaplan, "How to Heal U.S. Diplomacy")

[To the tune of The Beatles, "Ticket To Ride," from the album "Anthology 2 (Disc 1)".]