American Hubris

One of the advantages of not being a superpower is that it's hard to believe you can do just about anything. Sure, sometimes that means you spend a bit too much time navel-gazing and wringing your hands over smaller issues, but it can keep you grounded.

America's belief in itself is both a blessing and a curse. It can lead to some impressive achievements: landing on the moon, Silicon Valley, and Gravity Probe B come to mind. But when it surprises you that you can't control the outcome of war , that's got to fall under the curse category.