On 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks, America is an unreliable superpower

The US was still riding high in the aftermath of the end of the Cold War in 2000. Today, it is one major power among many.

Twenty years ago, the United States sustained the first substantial attacks on the mainland since the War of 1812. It was a collective shock to all Americans who believed their country to be impregnable. The Cold War had produced the existential dread of a nuclear attack, but that always lurked in the realm of the maybe. On a day-to-day basis, Americans enjoyed the exceptional privilege of national security. No one would dare attack us for fear of massive retaliation.

Little did we imagine that someone would attack us in order to precipitate massive retaliation.

Osama bin Laden understood that American