The Exceptionalism of America?
Mar 28, 2012
Is America an exceptional nation? This past week I participated in a public forum on the topic of American Exceptionalism. As one of the presenters, I included a global perspective of the United States in the Twenty-First Century. The realities of globalization and the shifting economic power to the BRIC nations have resulted in changes to the narrative of America as a superpower and an exceptional nation. Is this a bad thing for the perception of America to change? Do Americans lose their identity if America is no longer viewed as a superpower, but instead as a powerful, but imperfect nation-state? These questions are important for the national dialogue to ponder at this juncture in history. It is unquestionable that America's role in world affairs is undergoing tremendous change. Perhaps this forebodes a better positioned America. But some would say such talk is unpatriotic as well as signals to the international community that America is vulnerable. America retains many exceptional attributes, but it is far from a "perfect" nation-state. America has demonstrated its unexceptional avarice as evidenced in the 2008 Great Recession and America is struggling to find its footing after nearly a decade of war. America is a great nation, but my opinion is that it must continually earn the moniker "exceptional". Exceptional is not something granted without merit. Exceptional must be more than an ideology. It must be enacted through observable actions. America can manifest exceptionalism again, but first it must get its footing back on solid ground. For more of my views on American Exceptionalism, including the importance of Jefferson's Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom sign up as a registered user of Out of the Box Intl.com to receive an expanded article on American Exceptionalism. The article will be available on April 5, 2012.
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