On American Exceptionalism

In a September 11th New York Times op-ed, Russian President Vladimir Putin challenged one of the bedrock assumptions Americans make about ourselves: that we’re somehow different and special.  “It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation,” wrote Putin.  “We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.”

High minded words from the Russian strongman, but I wondered if there was any truth to what he was saying.  After all:

The Longfellow Bridge used to connect Boston to Cambridge, but Cambridge-bound traffic is blocked—for 3 1/2 years!—while the 1,700 foot bridge is rehabbed.  I wonder if the Army engineers who took 10 hours in 1945 to build a 1,000 foot bridge across the Rhine would consider our modern timetables exceptional?

This fall, some in Congress are gearing up to hold the nation’s creditworthiness hostage unless their demands to defund Obamacare are met.  It’s certainly a flawed law, but it’s an unexceptional strategy to suggest that America default on US Treasury Bonds unless some politicians get their way.  Sort of like pointing a loaded gun at a kid who won’t eat his peas. 

For exceptionalism these days, we breathlessly wait for the latest product announcement from Apple.  And it’s true that the innovation from Silicon Valley is the envy of the world.  Just as Hollywood remains peerless in the global entertainment industry.  But while this sort of exceptionalism grabs the headlines, it’s tangential to the daily life of the average American.  Sure, my iPhone allows me to pass the time as my morning train takes 20-30 minutes to trundle 9 miles through the congested one-track tunnel between Newark and New York, but I’d rather have back the 13 minute ride and Motorola StarTAC of my youth. 

Above all, it seems to me that the truly exceptional wouldn’t continually point to themselves and say “Look at me.  I’m exceptional.”  One need only YouTube “Rafael Nadal Press Conference” to see how the exceptional carefully measure their words about themselves.  Instead, the exceptional leave it to others to either acknowledge or disparage the exceptionality.  And by that test, according to Putin, we’re still exceptional.   

And yes, I’ll be upgrading to the iPhone 5s.

The Case for Intervention in Syria

The Case for Intervention in Syria

While my instinct is to recoil at the idea of getting involved in yet another Arab country, President Obama has got it right.  Chemical weapons are a particularly horrific weapon to use on armed forces, much less on a helpless civilian population.   A strike against the soft targets of the al-Assad regime would deliver a simple and powerful message: the cost of using weapons of mass destruction far outweighs their tactical benefits.

It’s also been a while since we’ve seen our branches of government act with such an acute sense of the national interest.  In a matter of days, debates kicked off, key votes were scheduled, and the Congressional leadership has thrown its support behind the President, prioritizing the national interest above petty partisan politics.  

I wonder which issue our newly energized leadership will tackle next?  Figuring out how the Japanese spend 50% less per capita on healthcare, yet manage to live four years longer?  Getting Detroit (once our third largest city) back on its feet?  Understanding how Switzerland can have more guns per capita than the US, yet a sixth of the per capita deaths by guns? Attracting and retaining the very best immigrants from around the world?  Repairing the 1 in 9 American bridges that are structurally deficient? Figuring out how poor kids can be nudged toward studying hard and not getting pregnant out of wedlock? Gosh, it’s going to be exciting to see which of these issues—each clearly as intractable as the Syrian Civil War—will be tackled by our newly courageous and decisive leaders.

I’m also looking forward to seeing how our military investment (each Tomahawk missile fired at Damascus costs $1.2 million) pays dividends for America.  Surely the civilian population will understand and appreciate our efforts to punish the al-Assad regime, even if a few folks are lost to “collateral damage.”  Sure, we’ve made some mistakes, but the Iranians long ago forgave us for our 1953 overthrow of their democratically-elected government, didn’t they?  And after we’ve tipped the balance toward the rebels, I’m sure they’ll forget their caveman-like interpretation of religion and ancient sectarian rivalries to become a bright beacon of representative democracy and a close ally of the United States.  “The Canada of the Middle East,” to coin a phrase. 

The speed at which America makes war is impressive, isn’t it?  I guess that’s what the President was referring to when he campaigned on the “fierce urgency of now.”