Clinton worked through NATO to protect the independence of Bosnia and the autonomy of Kosovo from a Serbia bent upon reestablishing its own version of hegemony over peoples that had suffered centuries of ethnic conflict under the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires.

NPR: 'Folly of Empire' Offers Critique of U.S. Imperialism

But the most heat being generated this week will surely come from within the debating chamber of the General Assembly, where once again Mr Bush and Mr Ahmadinejad will try to capture the world's attention with their version of what is the world's most worrisome brewing conflict.

ECONOMIST: Iran's president visits New York