A decade after 9/11, the U.S. has prevented further terrorist attacks - a major achievement. But with a $1.3 trillion budget deficit, a debt downgrade, and 24 million Americans searching for jobs, the U.S. needs to attend to matters at home rather than intervening in the world's affairs.

Germany’s abstention on the UN Resolution on Libya heralds the mellowing of a nation blamed for last century’s most catastrophic wars. This time, Berlin may determine the history of Europe by choosing to pursue its national interests peacefully rather than subjugating an entire populace.

As the young protesters in Libya struggle to rewrite the contract between the people and their rulers to make them more accountable, the world is reacting in predictable ways.

As the Arab world reinvents itself in real time, the rest of the world must begin to understand the region as something more than a source for oil and a market for armaments and consumer goods.