The rest of us aren t invited to sit in on the meetings. In a democracy, the people are allowed to vote. They have no say in running an empire. That s just the word Madeleine Albright automatically uses to express her disapproval, in the apparent belief that she can scold her enemies into behaving themselves. No, this was an attack on a military target.
Terrorism is a private-sector affair, usually employing homemade materials.
Part of its essence is that it s officially unauthorized. An empire can t afford to look helpless. There are no fleets of Arab destroyers off the coast of Florida, no Chinese fleets off San Diego. There are American fleets around the world, and they aren t popular. Now and then an incident reminds us of this.