The attacks of 9/11 were the biggest surprise in American history, and for the past ten years we haven't stopped being surprised. The war on terror has had no discernible trajectory, and, unlike other military conflicts, it's almost impossible to define victory. You can't document the war's progress on a world map or chart it on a historical timetable in a way that makes any sense. A country used to a feeling of being in command and control has been whipsawed into a state of perpetual reaction, swinging wildly between passive fear and fevered, often thoughtless, activity, at a high cost to its self-confidence.
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About George Packer
George Packer was a contemporary American journalist and writer. George Packer is an American journalist, novelist, and playwright. He is best known for his writings about U.S. Read more on Wikipedia →
Themes
- War — Reflections on conflict, peace, and the human cost of war