I suspect you hit a point I never thought in that way.
Politically as point out by a book who we are (the we is American), the American dream as a furnace where all race lives happily together as American x (American American, American Mexican, American Italian ...). Obviously not paradise but the dream is alive.
2. Economically you have the chinese factor which raise up as cheap and very good labour source. And the America get the most of the value added. And the chinese seem to learn and even taste of democracy even (many experiment). Look like it is going to be end of history as all towards market based. Then Soviet Union collapse reinforced the good world.
3. The liberal of internet by a on letting commerical use of internet or at least access. The raising wave of a then liberal media (not to steal personal data in the west or monitor each movement by china).
That were all good and great. Hence 15-25 years ago the world is good.
We are suffered for the dream is not really happen.
The furnace concept is no good as many parts are not merging. They retain their only identity not as a property of American, and America whilst much better than china as more accomodating but nit sure how to deal with its elements.
China turns out is not towards a liberal country at all. Whilst based on its history it might be more left than EU but still one nay hope. But that hope dash and we have a Soviet Union v2.0 totalitarian communist spying race hating religion intolerance country, except this time it is all in USA economy. Fight it you hurt yourselves. And they steal so much you have not much left if not like the rest of the world surrender to its demand. Imagine Harvard today has to worry about its free speech in zoom is unimaginable in 15-25 years ago. Instead it may have to be silence to protect its student from a law in a tidy place called Hong Kong.
Internet is still free and liberal in nature. But it was cut so that country like china can go out and get what you want but Mit the other way round. I use vpn and pretend to be in Uk. I cannot even access many chinese site. But their TikTok and wechat can go to everywhere. Even their citizen is under the spell or monitoring overseas. It is so one sided good luck to the good side of internet. The bad side of access non stop meant monitoring 24 hours, by commerical or national nature.
After great saint you come great thief as Lao Tse has warned.