The rise of the West is, quite simply, the pre-eminent historical phenomenon of the second half of the second millennium after Christ.

The West may collapse very suddenly. Complex civilizations do that, because they operate, most of the time, on the edge of chaos.

I refuse to accept that Western civilization is like some hopeless old version of Microsoft DOS, doomed to freeze, then crash. I still cling to the hope that the United States is the Mac to Europe's PC, and that if one part of the West can successfully update and reboot itself, it's America.

You really struggle to be a successful empire if you are also the world's biggest debtor.

Oral history is a recipe for complete misrepresentation because almost no one tells the truth, even when they intend to.

Collaboration is risky. If it fails, if the occupation is wound up prematurely and the bad guys come back to power, you might find yourself in some serious trouble.

For 500 years the West patented six killer applications that set it apart. The first to download them was Japan. Over the last century, one Asian country after another has downloaded these killer apps- competition, modern science, the rule of law and private property rights, modern medicine, the consumer society and the work ethic. Those six things are the secret sauce of Western civilization.