In An American Publishes a Magazine by Wallace Shawn, Shawn dwells on the interplay between American detachment and sovereignty. By doing so, his essay ends up raising more questions rather than answers.

In the beginning of the passage Shawn introduce readers to the idea of being Americans living in America. As Americans we are a sovereign nation (govern by power,rules and laws). When it comes to crimes committed by the soldiers of the sovereign nation Americans as individuals reacted with shock but as a sovereign public there was no cry of outrage or lament over the torment or torture by the soldiers on the people in chains.this passage raises a lot of doubt on the mind of the readers about what the United States stand for. Is it a country of peace which helps those that are helpless? Or is it the cause of all the problems.