Terrorism really is a form of asymmetric warfare waged against the united states by groups that lack the military wherewithal to slug it out with the united states toe-to-toe. 9/11 was a violent counter reaction to america's geopolitical—and cultural—primacy. as richard k. betts presciently observed in a 1998 foreign affairs article, "it is hardly likely that middle eastern radicals would be hatching schemes like the destruction of the world trade center if the united states had not been identified so long as the mainstay of israel, the shah of iran, and conservative arab regimes and the source of a cultural assault on islam." u. s. primacy fuels terrorist groups like al qaeda and fans islamic fundamentalism, which is a form of "blowback" against america's preponderance and its world role.54 as long as the united states uses its global primacy [end page 69] to impose its imperial sway on regions like the persian gulf, it will be the target of politically motivated terrorist groups like al qaeda.