Soon 1999 is going to be out. But it has etched deep into the history of US diplomacy, a policy aspiring to world hegemony, and the history of international relations between countries.

With a greatly swollen economy as support and from a position as the only world superpower it has gone to all lengths to push its power politics in an attempt to check the multi-polarization course for a mono-polar world of the US. It goes without saying the US has by its hegemonic diplomacy worsened the international atmosphere and greatly disrupted the international order, thereby exerting an unexpected negative influence on world peace and development.

A fact to be noted is that since advent of the year 1999 the US has not refrained from using many of its customary Cold War practices for a unitary mono-polar world to be imagined by the US. Among the various practices are included:

One, showing no squirm in fabricating pseudo theories for world hegemony. In last March, it saw to it that the 50th founding anniversary of NATO was marked with a big fanfare set up in Washington. A direct result of this was NATO soon brought out into the open its "New Conceptions", highlighting its eastward expansion and use of military force outside NATO domains without UN authorization, thus turning it into a purely offensive military bloc from a local force organized originally for a defense purpose. But the US did in no way stop there. It spared no effort in spreading the theory "human rights transcending sovereignty", namely, under the cover of protecting human rights it empowers itself with the right to interfere in the internal affairs and encroach upon the territorial sovereignty and integrity of other countries. Typical are US-led NATO's airstrikes launched on Yugoslavia. The US has even by its missile attacked the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia in committing unknown atrocities in world war history and the history of international relations between countries.

Two, making an effort for a strengthening of military blocs. These include such moves as to help NATO with its eastward march and a strengthening of US-Japan military alliance. A practical step of this was it saw to it that NATO had three new members recruited, including Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic. Meanwhile, a second-phase NATO eastward expansion plan has been mapped out over an enlarged domain for US-led NATO's forces to maneuver. In last May, people saw the US with Japan in its company went with their "New US-Japan Defense Cooperation Guidelines" all out in the way Japan is going to be built into an attacking power no longer as one to act on the defense. Soon three months after, the two renewed their effort to attach their signatories to an AMD document to cement greater ties between the two of allied force.

Three, trying its utmost for an expanded armory. Though with a military force of the world largest in hand yet it still strives for an increase of its military might to a yearly record expenditure of as many as US$280.8 billion to replenish its hi-tech armaments this year. Irrespective of various possible risks, consequent competitions for new armaments and worldwide opposition it still puts its stake on developing a massive NMD on its own. The US government has even set its mind on a revision of the anti-ballistic missile treaty though it has put its signatory to it with its Russian counterpart. Moreover, power diplomacy seems to have turned the heads of many US congressmen: They have cast a vote in vetoing the treaty for an all-round world test ban on nuclear weaponry. According to those US dignitaries, there seems to have no way out but a mono-polar world that has to follow the baton of power diplomacy and power politics of the US as the only superpower of the world. But to the grief of these men, things with today's US power diplomacy and power politics have been in the way they will go nowhere in the world for fantasy remains fantasy.

(By People's Daily staff reporters Ma Shikun and Zhang Yong)