At that moment, the United States was presenting the world with a different interpretation of power. It was the power of organisation, security, technology, tolerance and hospitality. Coordinated aerial surveillance, security helicopters and law-enforcement agencies on the ground made it clear that the United States did not regard the occasion as merely another match. The United States is not defined solely by the politics of Washington, the military power of the Pentagon or the financial influence of Wall Street. But the United States also secured an extraordinary distinction.