Huntington, Samuel P and Anthony Giddens.  "Two Wests." New Perspectives Quarterly v. 20, n. 4 (2003): 37-43.

The central division in the West is one which so many people have focused on: the difference in power between the United States and Europe. This division naturally gives rise to antagonisms, and, at times, conflicts, and certainly to differences in perspective and interest.

This is not a relationship, however, which is limited to the US and Europe. It is basically, I believe, a product of the global structure of power. During the Cold War we had two superpowers who inevitably had to compete with each other. We now have one superpower and several major regional powers, and their interests necessarily conflict at times. The US, as a global superpower, has interests in every part of the world and it tends to promote those interests in every part of the world.

On the other hand, what I call “major regional powers,” such as the European Union, or Russia, or China, or India, or Brazil, have interests in their regions. They quite appropriately and understandably think that they ought to be able to shape what goes on on their turf. These differences in perspectives and interests inevitably, in many cases, lead to conflict

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