I am sure most people have seen this by now

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/23/ma...=tw-share&_r=1

She says surprisingly little about the US end of this axis; were they incompetent or complicit? Is there a third choice?

Anyway, it seems the end is nigh (for the US as worldcop and/or imperial power, depending on how you look at these things). That may not be a bad thing for the US. I suspect American culture is not really ideal for either job. Better to stick to things the US understands better.
But it may be bad news for many others.
Would it be correct to say that China is to be the most likely cop in the "Afpak" region? or will there be a free for all with Russia, India and smaller regional powers all having a go?