Americans would have you believe that America is exceptional. Its aims are unlike those of lesser countries. Its foreign policy, for example, is rarely about pragmatic material interests. It is more of a mission, even a moral crusade. America fought the costly and consuming Cold War because the world had to be saved from the clutches of an ‘Evil Empire.’ As soon as the Empire fell and the Cold War ended, the Americans were ready to go home. They announced that History had ended happily and the promised Future had arrived: the world was now safe for flourishing markets and democracies. But, alas, as with men, so with nations: heroes can never breathe easy, and life has been no different for the Americans. In recent years, they have discovered to their complete dismay that many a new axis of evil have cropped up. And therefore once again, America must fight.
The Book Review, Monthly Review of Important Books