That relaxed self-perception and way of acting, domestically and internationally, is rooted in the material superiority and level of technological sophistication of the United States. It established itself successfully as a country that has, by and large, always been quite generous in sharing its wealth, perspectives and experiences with other nations. While the country had to contend with the threat posed by the Soviet Union during most of that period, it was a time when the United States was perceived by itself and the rest of the world as a confident, self-assured power.

Rather, it is a return to it, a reversion to the historical mean.ДЇrom that perspective, Americans experienced a happy interlude spanning the post-World War II era until the 9/11 attacks. Viewed in that light, it becomes apparent that 9/11 was no radical point of departure in American history, as is so often claimed. That is critical to ensure that the potential trauma does not fester in unexpected, and potentially very unhelpful, ways. When assessing an event as significant as 9/11, it matters perhaps most to think honestly, and deeply, about its meaning as well as its long-term effect. (This connection, coincidentally, also explains the virulence of the anti-immigration spirit in some quarters in the United States.) Although in a much less pervasive sense, illegal immigration had been both a precursor of, and successor to, the 9/11-related sense of violation of the nationвЂ™s territorial integrity.

To see that physical distance, and assumed safety, violated so violently, and with airplanes - a technology that has been part and parcel of the U.SвЂ™s technological and industrial rise - was a big shock.Д«ut what, with the benefit of hindsight, was new about the events of September 2001 didnвЂ™t have so much to do with the end of inviolability of the U.S. A big shock, butвЂ¦ДЇor a nation that has always prided itself on being an island nation - and therefore, thankfully, somewhat removed from the entangling hubbub of nations and peoples packed on cramped continents - that was a hard pill to swallow. Aside from the attack on Pearl Harbor, not since shortly after the founding of the American republic had there been as massive an attack on the American homeland.ДЄnd never before had contemporary, civilian technology been used to such a devastating effect against so many people in one event. In a literal sense, that is certainly true. The attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City and on the Pentagon right outside Washington, it is often said, represented a radical break with American history. debate is based on an incorrect, slightly self-pitying viewpoint. Unfortunately, the way in which 9/11 has been perceived in the broader U.S. That is no different for the events of September 11, 2001.ДЄnd yet, in the collective memory of nations, it is of critical importance that such events are categorized the right way, lest they give rise to an ideological, potentially self-glorifying or otherwise incorrect view of the tragic happenings. Symbol-laden as they are, any views expressed about them can be easily misunderstood.

It is never easy to write about national tragedies.

American conquest no launch