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Sept. 11 Aftermath Highlights U.S. Strengths and Weaknesses |
Lets consider a few examples.
The economy: an Achilles heel
Americas
economic system has been a great strength for most of its history. Except
for a few hiccupsmost notably the Great Depression of the 1930sthe
free-
enterprise system has served America well, making it the worlds most
successful economy. But its very success and sophistication also make it
vulnerable. The economy
is built on many things, chief among them confidence.
Confidence was waning even before Sept. 11. The dot-com bubble had burst, and the stock market was wobbling even before George W. Bush entered the White House. The warning signs of impending trouble were already there.
All Sept. 11
did was accelerate Americas economic decline. Telecommunications meltdowns
and corporate scandals added to U.S. woes, compounded by a general lack
of confidence around the world. Even in the United States, opinion polls
that had shown two thirds believing America was winning the war on terrorism
back
in January showed this was halved to one third by late June.
Uncertain about Americas future, by mid-July the euro had nearly overtaken the dollar in value, a significant psychological boost that showed increased confidence in Europes future even as the world doubted Americas.
E pluribus unum
"Out of many, one," the translation of the Latin motto on Americas seal and currency, has been a constant reminder of how a country that started out as a loose association of 13 former British colonies became the worlds most powerful nation, composed of peoples from every nation.
Here is another great strength that is suddenly an incurable weakness.
Much has been written about Sept. 11, but one fact is certain: Americas immigration policies contributed to the problem.
Before 1965 immigrants to the United States came primarily from Europe. Accepting immigrants from the Old World had given America its reputation as a melting pot, a tolerant nation able to successfully absorb peoples from different cultures. However, changes to the immigration laws in 1965 led to a massive influx of peoples from the so-called third world, making assimilation much more challenging.
Religious and cultural differences have meant that many of these people have not been absorbed. The melting pot today looks more like a salad plate, with different cultures living separately, rarely coming into direct contact with each other. Many feel left out and blame the United States for their ills. In such an environment, many Americans are in fact virulently anti-American. Some, perhaps a sizable number, are willing to resort to violence to change things.
Religious tolerance can backfire
Freedom of religion
is a complicating factor here. Again, once a great strength, this now has
a negative side. Two centuries ago Americans were overwhelmingly Protestant
Christians. Each denomination had its own interpretation of the Bible, but
they all generally believed the Bible was the Word of God and that everyone
should live by it. Separation of church and state meant the church was to
be protected from state interference. "No establishment of religion"
meant that no one church should have
a special, privileged position as in England.
Today the freedoms cherished by our ancestors are being abused. A very different (and, as practiced by some, a highly intolerant) religion, Islam, was a major contributing factor to the events of Sept. 11. Taking advantage of Americas freedom of religion, radical religious leaders are free to recruit followers, some to be suicide bombers.
The result? Government leaders openly warn that its only a matter of time before another deadly wave of killers blows itself up in an effort to bring down the United States.
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Keywords: economic system free enterprise stock market melting pot freedom of religion
Freedom of religion: