In 2001, USA was doing pretty good. A dastardly attack and ten years later, things have surely changed and the flux has not yet died.
On the dawn of 9/ 11 in 2001, the United States of America was riding high. It had a surplus budget, oil prices were low, the economy was doing fairly well and the country's armed forces were in their barracks.
But by the time the sun had set, it was clear that the country would never be the same again. Ten years later we know just how much it has changed. It has spent more than two trillion dollars in wars that show no signs of ending. Its economy is adrift and its people tired and confused.
The road that America set off on in the wake of the attack on the Twin Towers was not unexpected; very quickly, its armed forces overwhelmed the Taliban, and the Al Qaeda lost its sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
But then, inexplicably it veered off and attacked Saddam Hussein and overthrew his regime. This is when the US lost the moral high ground and many felt that it was American power that had now gone rogue.
The tragedy of 9/ 11 was not responsible for the global financial crisis of 2008. But the meltdown has powerfully reinforced the trend that the world is witnessing the end of American hegemony.
The markers are the milestones of the past decade - China overtaking Germany to become the biggest exporter, leading the world in the consumption of virtually everything, and overtaking the US to become the biggest market for cars.
On the other hand, the US appears to be stagnating. Its politics is gridlocked and somewhat unreal. One party insists that the gaping deficit be fought with even more tax cuts, while the other proposes schemes that expand healthcare and the deficit, without noticing that the big challenge for most Americans is to hold down jobs and get a roof back over their heads.
News from - http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5428419&page=0
On the dawn of 9/ 11 in 2001, the United States of America was riding high. It had a surplus budget, oil prices were low, the economy was doing fairly well and the country's armed forces were in their barracks.
But by the time the sun had set, it was clear that the country would never be the same again. Ten years later we know just how much it has changed. It has spent more than two trillion dollars in wars that show no signs of ending. Its economy is adrift and its people tired and confused.
The road that America set off on in the wake of the attack on the Twin Towers was not unexpected; very quickly, its armed forces overwhelmed the Taliban, and the Al Qaeda lost its sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
But then, inexplicably it veered off and attacked Saddam Hussein and overthrew his regime. This is when the US lost the moral high ground and many felt that it was American power that had now gone rogue.
The tragedy of 9/ 11 was not responsible for the global financial crisis of 2008. But the meltdown has powerfully reinforced the trend that the world is witnessing the end of American hegemony.
The markers are the milestones of the past decade - China overtaking Germany to become the biggest exporter, leading the world in the consumption of virtually everything, and overtaking the US to become the biggest market for cars.
On the other hand, the US appears to be stagnating. Its politics is gridlocked and somewhat unreal. One party insists that the gaping deficit be fought with even more tax cuts, while the other proposes schemes that expand healthcare and the deficit, without noticing that the big challenge for most Americans is to hold down jobs and get a roof back over their heads.
News from - http://news.in.msn.com/national/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5428419&page=0
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