An analysis of the diplomacy, international relations, and political changes of fortunes in America from its declaration of victory over communism in late 1989 to the attacks of 9/11-what some have erroneously called a twelve-year ‘holiday from history.’ Chollet and Goldgeier understand 9/11 as the result of shifts post-1989, which were not properly recognized by the West. See in particular ‘The Lone Superpower, Adrift,’ ‘New World Disorder,’ and ‘The End of the Modern Interwar Years.’