?or could not be more "perfect" for America at this point in our history.
9/11 instantly and simultaneously laid bare and gave a push to the most frightening trends in America: proneness to hysteria, a regressive religious tradition, corporate dominance over public policy, militarism and unconstitutional assaults on privacy.
Here's the problem: I don't see any way out of this. Too many of the worst elements of American politics benefit from an endless War on Terror. We're looking at Cold War 11: This Time It's Religious, with all the monumental waste - and blowback - that the Cold War engendered.
There is a very narrow range of acceptable viewpoints on the "War on Terror" - and I believe we will collapse into a monolothic one the moment of the next attack.
We can't afford another Cold War. What is left of our democracy will be destroyed, our treasury will be emptied, and we will neglect the truly pressing issues of our time: environmental destruction, AIDs, education, poverty and on and on.
I hate to be so pessimistic. But I remember thinking when the Cold War ended: thank God. But how long will this idyll last? And my answer: not long. Game theoretically, economically, socially - America and American politics loves a demon. We can't live long without one. And now we have a perfect, nebulous, indestructible demon onto which we can project all our hatred and fear.
Ugh.