Word: second-ranked
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Things might have turned out differently for Osama bin Laden--and for the denizens of southern Manhattan--if the tall, thin, soft-spoken 44-year-old hadn't been born rich, or if he'd been born rich but not a second-rank Saudi. It might have been another story if, while studying engineering in college, the young man had drawn a different teacher for Islamic Studies rather than a charismatic Palestinian lecturer who fired his religious fervor. Things might have been different if the Soviet Union hadn't invaded Afghanistan, if Saddam Hussein hadn't stolen Kuwait...
...challenge and cut down the big guy. Two centuries ago, Russia, Prussia, Britain and Austria rallied together to defeat Napoleonic France's bid for European hegemony. The miracle of the '90s has been the dog that didn't bark: Where is the opposition, where are the coalitions of second-rank states rising to challenge Pax Americana...
...pitcher Rene Arocha became the first Cuban national-team member to defect, and he soon established himself with the St. Louis Cardinals. There have been a few other defectors--Oakland Athletics pitcher Ariel Prieto and New York Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez--whom the Cubans tried to dismiss as second-rank malcontents. But when Fernandez got into Cubas' van last July, they could no longer make that claim. He was, after all, 22-0 in international competition, with a 1.62 era. And he was not considered a security risk...
...mental image of a major nation in decline is Britain. And, in retrospect, the British handled their decline pretty gracefully. In just a couple of generations Britain sank from economic and political superpower to second-rank member of a second-rank regional bloc. Yet the transformation happened without much domestic rancor, despite Britain's supposedly bitter class divisions. At worst, the general attitude was a certain sullen resignation. At best, there was a jolly, fatalistic insouciance. The Brits almost seemed to enjoy their ride down...
Interwoven with this story of an inescapable past is a more conventional one of an unattainable future. Terry Delaney is a night watchman and second-rank professional rugby player who suffers the double curse of discontent and lack of direction. He has no complaints about his wife but longs for passion. He hopes athletics can lead to a job in journalism or public relations, his vague image of an easy life. He is unsettled by the changes he sees in Roman Catholic tradition, epitomized by a closet-gay parish priest. When Delaney meets the Kabbelskis, Stanislaw's granddaughter Danielle seems...