America's assessment and subsequent decision to confront terrorism - as the West defines it - is a legitimate one. There is no "so-called" war on terror but a real threat no matter how we choose to term it. However, given the unconventional nature of the fight, is the United States overlooking the importance of keeping a watchful eye on more traditional nations that pose just as much as a threat?

Where the disagreement obviously arises is in the application of how to combat this scourge. Indeed, there is no Terrorististan. Outside the fragmented and confusing realm of terrorism there lies a more practical issue: the nation-state

Years ago, while I was in university and still sharp, two popular trends were often discussed in class. One was that business professors strongly suggested students take up Japanese. At the time everyone thought the Japanese would take over America and that it was an inevitable fact. If you can't beat 'em join 'em type of thinking set in the minds of our "leaders."

I didn't have time to learn a fourth language (I can barely speak, English, French and Italian) and thankfully America reinvented itself and the coordinated attempts by the Japanese to overtake the continent never materialized. There is more of a legitimate, demographically speaking, reason to learn Spanish - and even then you may be excused if you don't.

The other favorite topic was the concept of the nation-state. Back then, it was decreed that the nation-state was dead. You know, like God. To the professors and students alike the future was not bright. Others outright denied this to be true and still others had a romantic notion that we were entering a post-capitalist if not utopian existence. One world, one colour, one tax policy?

Regardless, the trials and tribulations of the nation-state are not the point here. The nation-state, to me, may be wounded but it remains quite strong. What we learnt since my days in university a decade ago was that God and the nation-state are hard to kill off.

I'll use a more straightforward example - One that this sanguine scribe clings and connects to. I grew up playing and watching soccer like so many people on the planet. The one thing I have noticed observing international soccer games over the years is just how powerful nationalism has remained. Ever notice how the players of even the most insignificant of countries sing their anthems arm in arm? True, this may be the nation in nation-state singing but the state still maintains its relevance in many countries.