http://youtu.be/KD-naLXlvck?list=PLD6AC8E04915265CA
The influence that the United States projects on the world affairs is not so much related to its military power or democratic system. It has to do with geopolitics and geoeconomics. North America connects two major economic regions - Europe and Asia. This is the foundation of U.S. economy, which accounts for about 25% of the total world economy. In order to defend the geopolitical interests, the U.S. has deployed its naval fleets in all oceans of the world, and thereby controls all the oceans. This gives the U.S. the ability to block out any other country from the global trade. And this is why many countries prefer to cooperate with the US rather then compete over naval dominance.
