Imagine you are a nation’s leader facing problems or seeking to underline your legitimacy on the global stage. Where will you go in pursuit of those goals?
In ancient times, all roads led to Rome or Susa, where two great empires set the tune in large chunks of the three continents known at the time. In the age of European imperialism, the obvious destinations were London, Paris and Petrograd. During the Cold War, Washington and Moscow were the obvious destinations. After the USSR collapsed, Washington was seen as the first source of authority, with the United Nations as a distant second.
