Sam Ro
Business Insider
12/27/2011
No matter what critics may say, there should be little doubt that the U.S. is pretty great. In a new op-ed for the Financial Times [“Far too soon to write off America”], Ian Bremmer argues as much.
Its economy is not simply the world’s largest; it is twice the size of second-place China’s, and its per capita income is higher than those of China, India, Russia and Brazil combined. For all the worry over the US credit rating and emerging alternatives to the dollar, global volatility has only reinforced its dominance as the reserve currency. America’s military is not simply the most capable. It is the only force that can project power in every region. Washington spent more on defence in 2010 than the next 17 nations combined, and even significant expected cuts won’t much narrow that advantage.
This is just a sampling of the myriad of great characteristics cited by Bremmer, the founder and president of the Eurasia Group.
However, Bremmer highlights that what really makes America great is its “democratic and free-market values.”
The true source of its lasting significance is that these advantages are a by-product of its faith in liberal democracy, the rule of law, and market-driven free enterprise.
Unfortunately, “These ideals have lost lustre in recent years,” says Bremmer. He recites a laundry list of shameful scandals ranging from Abu Ghraib to Enron.
These are the issues that the presidential candidates will have to confront and debate next year. Bremmer goes on to describe how he sees the this discourse unfolding.
Read the whole piece at Financial Times >
Related: Ian Bremmer And 3 Other Economic Titans Got Together For A Debate, And This Is What They Said
