The US largely squandered the opportunity to shape the international system in the first decade of the new century. Iraq and Afghanistan proved to be strategic distractions, and, &#160;particularly in Afghanistan, the US should resist pressures to prolong a substantial military presence.
在新世纪的第一个十年，美国基本上放弃了构建国际机制的机会。伊拉克和阿富汗已经打乱了美国的战略思维，尤其是阿富汉，因此美国应当抵制所有试图让其继续在该地区维持大量军事存在的压力。