"Superpower Fatigue"
There is an interesting article in the NY Times this morning about the weakening of the Bush agenda. The article cites the problems in Iraq and a poor Asian trade strategy as two of the main factors.

I think this is related to the loss of American influence in international law I mentioned a few days ago (here and here). Bush's declaration to the world that "you are either with us or against us" following 9/11 was an attempt to bully nations into doing what we wanted. Many say that the best way to deal with a bully is to just walk away and ignore him. Well, it looks like that is exactly what many countries have decided to do and they are learning that they can do just fine without us. The ICC is a great example, as the US has tried to undermine the Rome Statute and the ICC for years now, but it is currently holding its first trial anyway. Hopefully Washington will learn that the world does go on without us and that we should try work with other countries, not just try to tell them what to do.