The Impact of September 11 Attacks on U.S. Diplomatic Postures

The American public suffers acutely from the devastating psychological and spiritual shock of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The sense of being threatened and insecurity is one of the most common feelings among Americans today and the most dominating element in deciding Americas international posture and foreign policy. Under such circumstances, the United States will carry out vigorous military campaigns against identified or accused terrorists, more or less restrict civil liberties while tightening social control by the government, strengthen the domestic and external power of the president and the executive branch in order to crack down terrorism. The United States will also greatly increase the defense budget, construct a U.S. led global anti terrorism regime, and readjust or reshape the whole U.S. national security and defense apparatus to focus on the dealing with all possible and imaginable contingencies. The abrupt aggravation of the sense of insecurity spurs the United States on to develop a strong precautionary mentality toward the security and defense issues unrelated to terrorism. At present and in the immediate future, the general situation is very favorable for the United States to pursue the objectives of its foreign policy. This unconventional U.S. resolution to take emergency measures and its wish to pay all the enormous expenses have tremendous implications for all the nations that must fight terrorism but also resist global hegemony. These nations should make their own adjustments and responses with unconventional caution.