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Environmentalists agree that the world is a global village, with the human, animal and plant kingdoms in a precarious state of inter-dependency. On a good day, politicians agree; hence the creation of global organisations. Delegates at forums for deciding world levels of pollution, writing off third-world debt, etc, put aside their local concerns and attempt to do what is right for Planet Earth.

Created by refugees and pioneers, the USA was relieved to turn her back on the old world and developed an isolationist mentality that lasted well into the twentieth century. But although reluctant to enter the two World Wars, the USA then turned proactive and led the defence of international democracy in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now the most powerful and influential country on Planet Earth, the USA expects other nations to follow her lead. The corollary is that other nations expect the USA to take a lead. But human nature being what it is expectations are rarely fulfilled, and leaders become arrogant and resented. And so when America, rather than the UN, led the war against terrorism, it is only what the world expected, but her critics derided her for interfering. And when America was slow to become involved in the latest escalation of hostilities between Israel and Palestine a similar number of critics derided her for not stopping the bloodshed.

In the aftermath of September 11 the White House cannot be content with this state of affairs, and yet the USA seems unable to recognise that the problem is partly of her own making. America shamelessly shuns or woos the world according to her domestic situation, sabotaging the Kyoto Accord on global warming because of the perceived short-term impact on her economy and then demanding a world alliance against terrorism. Many countries had been suffering from terrorists for years, but when America was attacked on home soil it became a global matter.

Iraq was not connected with September 11, and is not alone in stock-piling weapons of mass destruction, but America has declared unilateral war against Iraq and expects other nations to follow. Simultaneously, and without acknowledging the irony, she ignored world sentiment and introduced huge tariffs to protect domestic steel. With many nations struggling to make ends meet over the last two years, this insensitive action could spark retaliation that might drag the world economy into recession. This is the single event that is most likely to destroy the concept of the global village, and who then will be interested in America’s agenda? No doubt many nations will follow her lead and decide that protection, like charity, begins at home.