Foreigners coming to the United States for a visit are now being treated as potential terrorists, right from their arrival at the airport. If you're a foreign resident and go to a government office to apply for a driver's license or some other document, you are treated very rudely, humiliatingly. It gives you the impression that the United States wants as few foreigners in the country as possible, and that if the foreigners do have to come here for a pressing reason such as a business trip, they should get the work done and leave as soon as possible. People from the Middle East and foreign students get this kind of treatment worse than anybody.

The Americans have not only heightened their alertness for foreigners, but also heightened their security. The United States under President George W. Bush possesses the world's mightiest military forces. Since the Cold War ended, and the superpower competition melted away, the United States has grown stronger in relative terms, and since 9-11 it has asserted itself as the absolute power. The invasion of Iraq can be seen as an outlet to release pressure after the American military strength began to strain its seams. The New York Times pointed out in a post-Iraq-war report that there's no longer any country in the world that can attack the United States in conventional ways, that the only way it can be attacked is with terrorism or guerrilla tactics.

Since September 2001 the United States has gone terribly macho. But the people of the world are questioning whether it is right or good for the United States to become an amoral giant. Even Americans ask whether they are going in the right direction. The United States has become stronger and more formidable, but the world doesn't welcome the development, and in fact fears it, because the United States is a different country, changed from what it was yesterday. People who look to America to see what it traditionally stands for - freedom, generosity and humanitarianism - now see narrow confines and stinginess. The country looks more and more like a giant that is so arrogant that it cannot bend at the waist. While it continues to grow in stature, its heart seems to be shrinking.

Apparently, the world is acknowledging the power of the United States, but it does not actually fear the United States in a real way. There is a trend developing by which people perceive U.S. power in a simple way. When the United States invaded Iraq, unilaterally, without persuading the world, the world distanced itself from America and began looking at it from afar. This presents a problem now, as the United States tries to get the United Nations on board to help it deal with the problems of Iraq. In the economic power department, the United States is also without competition. The rest of the world resents this in their hearts, even while acceding to be dragged along by the United States. Second-rate countries in terms of power, such as China, France and Germany, exploit these circumstances to increase their influence.

It is not difficult to understand the embarrassment suffered by the giant United States with the 9-11 attack, which wrought enormous damage. It seems now that the United States has fallen asleep on a train or bus and woken from a deep sleep, only to be confused about where it is. But by trying to destroy a virus by sealing its exit and entry points searching all of its towns, the United States should realize that it will no longer be perceived as the victims of the terrorist attacks. Even though the Americans are the victims, they are making themselves out to be the perpetrators.

Now the United States is in a chaotic situation. All dissenting views are being buried by the patriotic and anti-terrorism voices. Wherever you go in the United States you see unity and camaraderie among the waves of Stars and Stripes. It's too much. Concerns are rising, though, about how long America can continue living this kind of paranoid existence, suspecting everything outside is a possible enemy. In this regard, an excerpt from an article in the Sept. 7 edition of the New York Times draws our attention: "Maybe Al Qaeda are fleeing, but the price is that America and Americans have to get used to living in fear."

The writer is a Chosun Ilbo correspondent in Washington.

Sept. 9, 2003