I think a common mistake is to think civilization are wiped-off in a cinematic event like the Fall of Constantinople. Actually, what happens often is that a ci

I think a common mistake is to think civilization are wiped-off in a cinematic event like the Fall of Constantinople. Actually, what happens often is that a civilization degrades slowly over decades and centuries. It was once a leading power, but it is now a medium power with far less relevance. One good example is Spain going through a long decline after being probably the leading world power. In an era of nuclear weapons, you do not take cities anymore, but you could see countries that do not share the West ideology become more powerful, and progressively, develop all the new technology and have the most influence.