Thus The New York Times today. “A brazen new generation of Islamist extremists battle-hardened in Iraq and Syria has rebelled against the old guard of al-Qaeda, seeing it as too passive,” explains the newspaper. Surprise, surprise. Which reminds me of the undue jubilation of Osama bin Laden’s demise a bit more than three years ago. As I commented the hubbub at the time, it was like Romans celebrating Attila’s demise in 453 (“Osama bin Laden’ Demise: A Letter to The Economist,” May 9, 2011). In vain, of course. What is truly surprising about the whole story is that empires never learn. The American empire is no exception.