A World Sliding Into Danger
Time was when the sun never set on the British Empire. These days, it seems the sun never sets on a crisis. This week alone you can take your pick among the mysteries of the spreading swine flu, the drumbeat of Iranian nuclear pursuits, the conundrums of American self-flagellation over Guantanamo Bay, the wild uncertainties of the modern world’s financial system or the Taliban onslaught in nuclear-armed Pakistan. You can go online and make a career out of delving into each in turn—and while you are doing that, another crisis will turn up.
And yet, for the average American, how much does all this dramatically intrude into daily life? For many—apart from those with family members fighting abroad in the military—the world goes on more or less as usual. Sept. 11 is for most a fading memory. The current financial wreck has caused plenty of pain, but the great majority who want work are still employed. If there are vast Hoovervilles of Americans actually starving, CNN has not yet found them.
In Washington….