ABSTRACT
The economic consequences of Vietnam contributed to major stagflation in the 1970s and, undoubtedly, to a lesser standing of the United States among the community of nations. In America today, repeated breaches against civil liberties and basic constitutional freedoms are excused by 9/11. The Latin American terrorist group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia is possibly networking with Iran, and certainly trying aggressively to obtain materials for radioactive weapons. The strong-handed tactics America has used internationally to "fight terrorism" have created new motivation for enemies, new training fields and more, instead of fewer, terrorist foot soldiers with a passionate hate for America. Many return to a broken life, embittered by the experience and after having interacted with true terrorists. The promise of rule of law, civil protections, representative democracy, and respect for human rights has been undermined by policies for combating terrorism.
