Scope of Inquiry

My chapter is written in the context of discussion within the United States, but seeks to be sensitive to what might be described as “a global perspective.” In this regard, the central point is the degree to which much of the rest of the world, especially at the level of civil society, has grown over time more disturbed by the American response to the September 11 attacks than by the attacks themselves, and the continuing threat posed by such forms of non-state political violence. In this regard, the impact of September 11 on adherence to human rights standards and on American foreign policy is different than in any other country, including the main American ally, Britain. In one sense, this uneven response is a natural reflection of the degree to which the United States, its people, and interests around the world are the main target of Al Qaeda-type political violence. But in another more important sense, this unevenness expresses a critical attitude toward the American response as exaggerated, motivated by a geopolitical project to achieve global domination, and a related manipulation of the terrorist threat to inhibit dissent within the United States by inducing fear among the citizenry. By adopting a global perspective on these issues, this chapter embodies this critical attitude.

Given this outlook, it seems worth questioning whether the label of “Age of Terror,” so widely used in American discussions of world order since September 11, including as the subtitle of Michael Ignatieff's widely discussed A Lesser Evil (2004), is a helpful reminder that there has occurred a shift in focus from globalization to terrorism or is an example of a misleading label.