Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 9. december
2010 / Time Line December 9, 2010
Version 3.5
8. December 2010, 10. December 2010
12/09/2010
American Exceptionalism Revisited
By Don Monkerud
A plethora of wantabe presidential candidates is beating the drum
again for American exceptionalism, a warmed-over rehash of bravado,
jingoism, and chauvinism.
This latest superpatriotic call seeks to revive a concept dragged
from the dustbin of history by George W. Bush.
Bush resurrected American exceptionalism as an excuse for his
destruction of Iraq, and the unilateral disregard for the rest of
the world. Under Bush, the U.S. overturned international treaties,
denounced the U.N. and international cooperation-except when to
America's advantage-and rejected legal views routinely accepted
around the world. Bush and his neocon cheerleaders claimed that the
U.S. has its own set of rules, judgments, and solutions to every
issue, based on national advantage. Many of today's politicians,
urged on by Fox News, are replaying these old arguments.
Exceptionalism reaches back to historic national decisions that
were similar to the invasion of Iraq: dropping the atomic bomb on
Japan; clearing out indigenous people to make room for white
settlers; and enslaving Africans to build and run plantations.
Those in favor of such moves claim God gave America a unique right
to rule, and ignore the rest of the world, because we are
special.
In one way, exceptionalism is merely another weapon now being used
to undermine President
Barack Obama and pave the way for the GOP to capture the
presidency in 2012. The term also justifies conservative policies,
such as unbridled capitalism, limited government, abolishing taxes,
and imposing Christianity on the nation.
Let's examine the concept. A 2008 Brookings Institute conference on
American Exceptionalism outlined the ways Americans diverge from
world opinion. Some 75 percent of Americans are proud of their
country, while only a third of Germans and Japanese are. Half of
Americans consider a public safety net important while 75 percent
of Europeans do. Two-thirds of Americans believe success comes from
individual effort, while the same proportion of Europeans believes
success is the result of forces beyond their control.
Above all, America is deeply rooted in religious belief. Half of
Americans believe God is essential to morality, while only a third
of Europeans do. Forty percent of Americans go to church once a
week, while less than 10 percent attend in Europe. Do these
characteristics justify America forcing its will on the rest of the
world?
The notion of exceptionalism includes the boast that America is the
greatest nation on earth. Perhaps because few Americans read
newspapers or travel abroad, they cannot adequately judge the truth
of this claim.
Corporate controlled politicans claim America has "the greatest
healthcare system in the world," only to reveal their ignorance.
The World Health Organization ranked the U.S. 37th among nations in
healthcare performance in 2000, although we pay more for less
service. Numerous studies reveal that the U.S. is mediocre in
treating illness. For example, compared to the G8, the U.S. has the
highest infant mortality, the most mothers who die during
childbirth, the most lives lost that could have been saved, and the
worst in treatment of cancer. The U.N. rates the U.S. even worse:
74th in healthcare performance. And in 2009, the C.I.A. ranked the
U.S. 49th in life expectancy in the world.
Nor is the U.S. "the greatest" in essential categories. The U.S. is
second after the European Union in GDP, 41st out of 130 in public
debt, has the worst balance of trade of any country, and is 32nd in
student math, reading and scientific performance. We do have the
greatest wealth disparity in the world. In 2007, our top ten
percent controlled 72 percent of the wealth, while the bottom 50
percent controlled 2.5 percent. The poverty rate increased from 12
to 14 percent since 2004, and the current recession has left over a
quarter of the working population either under-or un-employed.
The U.S. does have the most expensive military in the world because
we spend almost as much as the rest of the world combined. We also
spend more on our for-profit medical system-two and-a-half-times
more than the world average.
Pointing out an anomaly of historic development is one thing, but
adopting "exceptionalism" as government policy ignores the
disastrous failures in Iraq and Afghanistan, the meltdown of the
world economy, huge national deficits, and the rise of Iran and
China on the international scene.
Flag-waving politicians like Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Rick
Santorum, Mike Pence, and Newt Gingrich use the concept of
"exceptionalism" to prove how much they love America. Such
hyper-nationalism, usually tied to a Christian God, denies our
common humanity with the rest of the world, undercuts international
cooperation, and promotes an arrogant disregard for world
opinion.
It remains to be seen how Americans will react when they realize
their imperial ambitions in the New American Century-a neocon dream
of world dominance-is a hollow myth. America lived beyond its means
for too long and now must accept its place in a new world. China,
the E.U. and even small countries increasingly challenge America's
role in the world. Will the U.S. become isolationist, engage in
more militaristic adventures, or join the nations of the world to
push for world peace? We shall see.
12/09/2010
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