always have to the threatened or real pre- ference between international politics dominance of one among them:they will now and earlier is not found in the work to right the balance.The present increased interdependence of states but condition of international politics is in their growing inequality.With the unnatural.Both the predominance of end of bipolarity,the distribution of America and,one may hope,the milita- capabilities among states has become rization of international affairs will dimin- extremely lopsided.Rather than elevat- ish with time. ing economic forces and depressing Many globalizers believe that the political ones,the inequalities of interna- world is increasingly ruled by markets. tional politics enhance the political role Looking at the state of states leads one of one country.Politics as usual prevails to a different conclusion.The main dif- over economics.D Identifying the Threat As Gov.George W.Bush of Texas campaigns furiously through [owa]in the final days leading up to its caucuses on Monday,he is amassing examples of twisted verbiage and oratorical bloopers that bring to mind his famously tongue-tied father's forays into linguistic limbo.The most memorable one came Friday night,as he addressed a crowd in Council Bluffs.Mr.Bush was entering the span of his speech in which he normally compares the foreign policy paradigm of yesteryear,when the country's enemy was the Soviet Union,with the situation today,when threats are less predictable.But he skidded off the rails and into a bog of free-floating pronouns and absent antecedents.When I was coming up,'the Texas governor said,'it was a dangerous world and we knew exactly who the they were.It was us versus them and it was clear who them was. Today,we're not so sure who the they are,but we know they're there.' -Frank Bruni,New York Timtes,January 23,2000 56 The National Interest-Spring 2000 Copyright 2000.All rights reserved.Copyright © 2000. All rights reserved