SEPTEMBER 2002 was marked by three events of considerable importance, closely related. The United States,the most powerful state in history, announced a new national security strategy asserting that it will maintainglobal hegemony permanently. Any challenge will be blocked by force, the dimension in which the US reignssupreme. At the same time, the war drums began to beat to mobilise the population for an invasion of Iraq. Andthe campaign opened for the mid-term congressional elections, which would determine whether the administrationwould be able to carry forward its radical international and domestic agenda.