 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 December 1999 Issue No. 460 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 December 1999 Issue No. 460
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
| ||
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Debate Focus Profile Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Ready for the crossing
We continue to speak of the 21st century as a far-off land, which we must traverse aeons to reach -- yet it is upon us. In a matter of days, the new century will begin. What have we done to prepare ourselves? Some see the new era simply as a continuation of the old: just as we pass from December to January, so will we slip across the threshold of this new beginning. The truth, however, is that things are not so simple. Great changes are taking place before our eyes, and will be revealed suddenly, when it is already too late to follow the metamorphosis. The science-fiction future is reality; moreover, it is only days away.
The old political configuration is no more; the monolith of unprecedented American supremacy has replaced the blocs of battling nation-states. Although the US's status as a global superpower has been a reality since the end of World War II, there is a fundamental difference between a great power whose sway is offset by the presence of another, and one that dominates in the absence of all rivals. This new situation will shape the political landscape in the coming century. The expansion of the market economy will also impose new relations both within and among the members of the international community; then there is the impact on culture of Information Technology, and the fact that communications now render borders redundant. These, then, are the features of the new century. Are we ready?
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
