Alexis de Tocqueville (bio here) first coined the phrase back in the 1830s. It is to describe the idea that the United States has a special and unique place in the world that separates us from other nations. Scholars and historians have debated the definitions of what it means over the years (links here and here ) but if you think of such things as Manifest Destiny, American Imperialism or American interventionism, you get the idea of what it has brought about. On the political left, it means egalitarianism. On the right, it means moral superiority.

It is, in part, the asertion that the U.S. is born from God’s will and is a symbol of hope for all the world. A concept that in essence began with the Puritans.

As author Seymour Martin Lipset wrote in his aptly named book Double Edged Sword, (info here, an excerpt here) it makes the U.S. the greatest nation on Earth as well as the worst. The case can certainly be made for both, depending on your point of view, but there are times when it brings out the worst in both the left and right. A good example is why we are involved in Iraq.

Putting aside all the factual distortions and outright lies that led to the invasion, how is it that Americans were so accepting of the idea of the invasion in the first place? The answer may lie in American Exceptionalism, our nation’s inherent belief that we are a force for good in the world. People in this country feel that it is our right as a nation to impose our will on other nations because after all, deep down everyone wishes they were more like us and our motives are pure.

Hubris? Arrogance? That’s how much of the rest of the world sees it.

If we except the notion that the U.S. is a force for good in the world, then it can easily be seen how the Bush administration so easily sold the people of this country on the invasion. We are doing the Iraqi people a favor by bringing them democracy and freedom. We got rid of an evil tyrant, etc. Those are some of the talking points from the right but some on the left are part of the problem too. They are the ones who believe that since we have broken it, it is our duty to stay and fix it.

That of course raises the question: Can it be fixed? Herein lies the crux of the problem today. It is our national arrogance that believes eventually it can. A belief embodied by a president who thinks he is doing God’s will.

It brings to mind the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme:

All of King George’s horses and all of King George’s men can’t put Iraq back together again.

Leave a ReplyToggle Meta