Yes and no. 9/11 obviously brought terrorism to the forefront and in turn it became a very American driven issue, but it has always been a problem in the international community. I strongly disagree with the way America has handled it and understand how such tactics would sway the opinions of non-Americans, but I also believe that there are many out there who do realize it is too large issue to let strained relations interfere with.
Bingo:
it became a very American driven issue when it shouldn’t have had to, when it
did not have to; America didn’t handle it well? But what is this “America” if not by large the
American people? And if the American people are not involved, or not as involved, then how can any American even dare to speak of “democracy” when there apparently is a gab between the government and its people? If international security was once a global issue and cause, it is now heavily placed on America, and justly so. All things, today, lead back to and point at America, whether positively or negatively. That much is undeniable today - what it means, well...that's a matter of opinion...
I'd rather be naive and idealistic than angry...
And that is admirable, noble, and perhaps the most courageous a person can be in this day of age - I know because I am idealistic as well, so idealistic that I am blind to the reality in which most people are submerged on daily basis - a reality which is, if I may say so, a hundred times more "real" than our idle ideals and drowning dreams. We set ourselves up for some of the greatest disappointments in this world in this manner, but hey, I learnt that the greater the capacity of your mind and understanding, the more noble and moral, the more bound to be disappointed by this world. I am not angry, but disillusioned; that is not to say I have lost the idealistic vision, or that I have lost faith and trust in it, but that I am in fact more aware of its probable impossibility - which somehow makes it all the more powerful to hold on to and believe in...