Nationalism is the discourse of war under modern capitalism, in which the national state has cornered a monopoly on violence. Part of the affront of September 11 is that it challenges this state monopoly on violence, indeed that is precisely the traditional definition of terrorismönon-state-organized violence. The fraud of the `war against terrorism‘ is that the US government has arrogated to itself the right to decide who does and who does not count as a terrorist.