It is, I think, an indisputable fact that Americans are, as Americans, the most self-conscious people in the world, and the most addicted to the belief that the other nations are in a conspiracy to under-value them.

The observation of a modern day pundit perhaps? Nope, it is a quote from Henry James in 1895. He was an American but end up living and writing in the UK.

It is hard to shake elements of a national psyche and you can still see evidence of this belief in American psyche today, particularly in American foreign policy.

Through the millenia countries that are powerful enough have been invading other countries without worrying about their standing in the world arena. These countries believe themselves to be great and righteous without reference outside their borders. As we now know, George Bush wanted to invade Iraq and oust Saddam Hussein long before September 11, 2001. America has the might it could have just done it without the need to leaverage off 9/11, cook up cock and bull stories about WMD or engage in all that argy bargy with the UN. America's objectives may have been entirely honourable but it was its desire to have itself seen as righteous by the rest of the world that forced it into all this game playing.