They could no longer fund their war machines, and there was no more fuel to power them. The wars in the Middle East had ceased, not do to peace, but from necessity.
One year later only the American and Australian governments were still holding onto some semblance of power. The automotive industry was first to fall, quickly followed by oil and gasoline, and then everything else was swallowed in the wake. Governments started to crumble as most industries collapsed. Ten years ago the world economy crashed, there was no recovery.