September 11 Exposed the Weaknesses of a Complacent Superpower Essay

The unthinkable events of September 11 have called into question things that once seemed indisputable about America. The abolish of the Cold War brought with it notions of American supremacy economically, militarily, and in intelligence. The only challenge to this supremacy had been the Soviet Union, and its collapse ensured that the United States was safe to take its place as the worlds only superpower. However, in the decade following the end of the Cold War, America has not been willing to accept the responsibility that accompanies this position. The weaknesses exposed by the attack all point to a need for America to drop by the wayside its perception of itself as invincible, because that attitude is precisely what made it so vulnerable. America needs to be willing to constantly reevaluate itself and question whether or not it is acting responsibly, as a superpower should. What constitutes a superpower? This is a question that must be answered in order to determine where Americ a stands aft(prenominal) September 11. There is no question that America is the dominate force in the world both militarily and economically, and both of these factors behave an important voice in defining it as a superpower. However, these are two factors that are only relevant when looking at the whole world. Internal factors also play a role in defining a country as a superpower. First of all, the country must have a feeling of safety. sight living in a superpower feel that they are untouchable and that as long as they stay under the security blanket that their administration offers, no harm will come their way. In addition, the strong superpower will be held up by a strong infrastructure. Intelligence should be a top priority to ensure the safety of the people of the supe... ...g to join. The events of September 11 have changed the America forever. Undoubtedly, the age of American innocence is over. However, the question rest does the end of innocence mean the end of sup erpower status? The reevaluation of American hegemony is inevitable, but will this reevaluation signify the end of the hegemony? Undoubtedly, America dominates the world scene, even later on the attack, but it must begin to understand better what it means to dominate this ever-changing world. America must never again sink into the complacency that had interpreted over in the past decade. It is only through constant reevaluation that America will ever truly understand the huge responsibility that accompanies being the worlds lone(prenominal) superpower. Sources CNN, Anthrax victim urges Americans to stand together, http//www.cnn.com/2001/US/11/05/anx.anthrax.facts/