“Pax” is Latin for “peace.” It’s been used as a prefix for a lot of things:
- Pax Americana (“American Peace”)
- Pax Romana (“Roman Peace”)
- Pax Brittanica (“British Peace”)
Pax Americana generally refers to peace among the developed nations of the Western Hemisphere – North America and Europe. The idea is that “friends of America” are also friends of each other. This period has (supposedly) lasted since the end of World War II.
The idea can be controversial. From Political Dictionary:
The concept of Pax Americana has its critics, of course. The concept has also been likened to the glorification of US imperialism. At its heart, Pax Americana relies on the idea that US hegemony is behind the long, peaceful period among North American and European states since 1945.
Searching for “the end of pax americana” reveals lots of opinions about whether it still exists or if it ever did.