Americans have just witnessed what may stand in historical perspective
             as the onset of a new era. That is, the terrorist bombing of the World
             Trade Center on September 11th. The World Wars represented for most people
             the depth of carnage, brutality and government excess that is possible when
             the moral foundation of society is lost to the acquisition of power. The
             twentieth century brought with it a new awakening to multiculturalism as
             technology enabled the conceptualization of a 'global community'. The
             twenty- first century may well prove an era of change in power, especially
             in the sense of the United States as sole superpower'.
             Richard Ned Lebow has said, "Power is defined as capability relative
             to other states" (1994, p. 249). The collapse of the Soviet Union is said
             to have been the deciding factor in America' ascension to sole superpower'
             status. The problem with being at the head of the pack' is that a balance
             must be maintained between the use of such power for responsible leadership
             and the misuse in the interests of exploitation and, or, expansion
             (Lipsett, 1998). Balance is also the key word in considering the military
             buildup as opposed to the economic consequences of military spending.
             There are many who would side with the "declinist theories that posited an
             exhausted America, the geoeconomic assumption that military power was
             passé, and the chaos' theorists who saw America as incapable of dealing
             with the real problems that would define the next age of history, including
             proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, local famines and genocide,
             pollution, and resource depletion" (Harkavy, 1997, p. 578). It is thought
             that the United States' continued role as a superpower will be based on the
             political conduct as well as world opinion as to the abuse of such power
             The future of America's power status is dependent on "American power
             and p...