As I argue in my book The Future of Power, one of the great power shifts of this global information age is the strengthening of non-state actors. Al Qaeda killed more Americans on 9/11 than the attack by the government of Japan did at Pearl Harbor in 1941.
但这种显而易见的复原不应模糊了9·11事件本身的重大长期意义。正如笔者在拙作《权力的未来》一书中所论证的那样，信息时代其中一个最重大的权力转换就是非国家参与者的实力增强。要知道基地组织所杀害的美国人数量比日本袭击珍珠港时还多。这或许可以称之为“战争的私人化”。