The most important political development of the closing millennium is the extended application of the rule of law. This century has witnessed two world wars, but it has also seen the rule of law applied more widely than ever through the League of Nations and later through the United Nations. A host of treaties have been signed setting forth international legal obligations.
During the next millennium, the rule of law is likely to be established globally. The hope, of course, is that, with it, peace and democracy will prevail around the globe. Since the end of the Cold War, the world has come to revolve around the United States, the sole remaining superpower. That begs the question: Will the rule of law be extended under the aegis of the U.S.? The answer must be qualified, considering that U.S. values do not always agree with international opinion.
Examples are not hard to enumerate. The U.S., a key U.N. member, often makes light of the world body, as epitomized by its failure to pay $1.6 billion in accrued membership dues. The U.S. has boycotted the creation of a permanent international criminal court. The irony is that the countries it labels "rogue states," such as Libya and Iraq, are also opposed. The U.S. has yet to sign an international treaty banning antipersonnel land mines.