ABSTRACT
The ten-year period starting from 1990 ending in 2001 was the only real phase that the US enjoyed its status as an unopposed superpower. The 9/11 terrorist attack of 2001 seemed to flip the traditional coin of conventional attacks on its head,1 and highlighted superpower vulnerability to the threats posed by non-state entities. The US waged its ‘War on Terror’ by targeting the Taliban in Afghanistan as well as the Al Qaeda network, but swiftly faced another challenge of anti-American sentiments from the Islamic nations. The limitations of the US relying solely on the use of its hard power poses
another challenge. The US was faced with a totally different kind of battle with religious conflicts between warring factions, along with acts of terrorism against the US and multilateral forces that has already taken a toll of more than 3,000 soldiers. This is certainly the consequence of absence of persuasion, and empathy attributable to the use of soft power. Despite the establishment of an Iraqi government, the US has yet to pull itself out of the Iraqi quagmire, setting the stage for the importance of what Joseph Nye aptly labelled as ‘smart power’.2
