Such anti-American thinking is nothing new in Europe, but it seems on the rise these days, much on display during the Bush visit to Europe and seemingly exemplified, as well, by the EU's blocking of the merger of General Electric and Honeywell, two American companies whose marriage had been approved by the U.S. government.

America must now prove to the world that it is different from the dictatorships it is fighting against. That's becoming popular sentiment.

Consider two foreign ministers. The first wants "to destroy" the Taliban; the second to work with "moderate Taliban leaders." The second voice is that of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell; the hawkish first voice, that of Germany's foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, leader of his country's left-wing Green party.

Germany's Joschka Fischer rejects moral relativism that finds such hospitable lodging in Europe; for this reason, he may have the bearings to stay the course if the war turns toward Saddam.

As the events of September 11 transformed the national-security debate in the United States, they also have profoundly affected European attitudes toward America.

Anti-Americanism will not disappear. But now hatred of America is becoming isolated, marginalized, and discredited across Europe perhaps like never before.

With the war on terror, U.S.-Arab relations, U.S.-Russian relations,and U.S.-European relations can be revived or solidified.

The devastating terroristattacks of September 11 on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have, in a single stroke, transformed the national security debate in the United States. The post-Cold War world is finally over; terrorism has emerged overnight as the new great threat.