But here's the rub. At the same time, Ikenberry articulates the
powerful Washington imperative that Europe has yet to accept:
"In a world of asymmetrical threats, the global balance of power
is not the linchpin of war and peace. Likewise, liberal strategies of
building order around open trade and democratic institutions might have
some long-term impact on terrorism, but they do not address the immediacy
of the threats.
"Apocalyptic violence is at our doorstep. So efforts at
strengthening the rules and institutions of the international community
are of little practical value. If we accept the worst-case imaginings of
[Donald Rumsfeld], everything else is secondary: international rules,
traditions of partnership and standards of legitimacy. It is a war."
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If Ikenberry's contradiction cannot be resolved, history will be a
harsh judge of what Ignatieff calls the missed opportunities and the
shallow triumphalism of the '90s. For now, the war on terrorism is the
only prism that matters. That might change with time and with it, perhaps,
America's worldview.
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