I’m a proud American. I’m happy to have been born and raised here in the United States. I’ve also lived a few years elsewhere in various parts of the world, but I have never seriously considered moving abroad permanently as an expat (I suppose under certain conditions that could possibly change). In being proud of my country, I try to remain realistic about what America is or isn’t, and what it has been or has never been.
I find America’s influence on the rest of the world interesting. The concept that America’s direction largely impacts that of the world has been around a long time. America has long had a disproportionately large amount of influence across the world.
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel in some rather interesting parts of the world. I was nearly always treated well for being American. Admittedly, many of these travels were part of official business as part of my military career. When I interacted with foreign military officers from allied or partner nations, they were of course unlikely to present to me a sour disposition towards the U.S. In other cases, on other travels, I would occasionally find those who were less enamored with American influence abroad.
In any case, why exactly is it that America has so much influence? Where does this influence come from?
America’s Place
In an attempt to answer that question, there are a few places we could look to determine where that ability to influence comes from. The American economy remains the largest in the world. The American armed forces are generally considered to be the most powerful. Often forgotten is the strength that comes from the United States’ relatively large population. Even Americans ourselves often forget that our population ranks third in the world; we forget because it is so far behind the two nations dueling for the top spot: China and India. Politically, the U.S. has served as a model of republicanism for nearly two and a half centuries. Our country’s commitment to the rule of law, peaceful transfers of power, and constitutionalism has influenced others around the world. In terms of culture, an incalculable amount of movies, TV shows, music, sports, and fashion spirals out from the U.S.
In other words, America has long enjoyed influence dominance when it comes to both hard and soft power.
America’s Trajectory
It’s relatively easy to see where America sits currently, or long has sat, vis-à-vis the rest of the planet with respect to the economic, military, political, and cultural spheres. However, describing where we are now and where we are headed are two different things.
For example, despite having the largest economy, we enjoy a slower growth rate than some of the other highly prosperous countries, principally China. Militarily, we remain very strong. However, we seem to be getting weaker and we know that our clearest rivals, China and Russia, are getting stronger with each passing year in their attempt to close the gap with the capabilities of our own forces.[1] Politically, our reputation as the beacon of freedom is waning as we have sent troops all around the world (unconstitutionally in nearly every case) on many ill-conceived mission sets. Who, anywhere on the planet, actually believes that Joe Biden is the “leader of the free world”? Culturally, we still exhibit large amounts of influence but there also seems to be plenty of countries that are now on guard against some of the more decadent forms of that influence.
Assessing whether or not American elements of hard and soft power might be diminishing is an essential question.
However, is there something more fundamental, though perhaps less measurable, that has led to our successful placement on the world stage? Something that has placed us in a position to be respected and imitated by others? Something that, were we to lose it, would bring about a fall from our current position? If so, could this then impact the remainder of the world?
For lack of a better term, what is the soul of America? Is America in danger of losing its position in the world?
"As Goes America, So Goes the World"
The quotation that I placed above as the title of this piece comes from a hymn dating back to 1920 that was written by Baptist minister and “traveling song evangelist” Palmer Hartsough. While the hymn itself may not be widely known, the main theme is at the core of America's identity.
The hymn’s lyrics are found below:
1 As goes America, so goes the world,
Here where the fight for truth is raging,
As goes America, so goes the world,
Here where the hosts are now engaging.Refrain:
Stand thou for righteousness, people so blest,
Win thou the victory, greatest and best;
Lead on so grand and free, Nation of destiny,
As goes America, so goes the world.2 As goes America, so goes the world,
Here freedom makes her last endeavor,
As goes America, so goes the world,
Fails she, and all is lost forever. [Refrain]3 As goes America, so goes the world,
Here lift we Christ, the light bestowing,
As goes America, so goes the world,
Here serve we God in rightful doing. [Refrain]4 As goes America, so goes the world,
Foremost and highest is her station,
As goes America, so goes the world,
Leader and guide to every nation. [Refrain]
It's important to remember that this hymn was published shortly after the conclusion of World War One, with our country on the side of the victors. America was embarking upon one of the most jovial eras in her history, the Roaring Twenties. Life was good. National pride was high and the U.S. was just beginning to really assert itself around the world.
In the lyrics above, there is no mention of economic strength. Or military might. Or anything that we might conventionally refer to as an element of power. The author, Hartsough, seemingly asserts that America’s greatness, or “her station,” is predicated upon something immaterial. In so doing, he calls attention to America’s “fight for truth” and he implores her to “[s]tand…for righteousness.” He refers to the the country as a “Nation of destiny” where “freedom makes her last endeavor.” According to the hymn, America is a Christian nation, a “[l]eader and guide” to the remainder of the world. Repeated throughout the hymn is the claim that “[a]s goes America, so goes the world.”
The hymn’s message reminds me of an oft-repeated warning misattributed to Tocqueville in his Democracy in America and often used in political speeches: “America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”
American Exceptionalism
I’m sometimes uneasy when it comes to our “exceptionalist” view. When analyzing America’s “station,” it’s easy to “buy into our own hype” so to speak. On the ground, this can look like a game where we make the rules, change them as we please, and serve as self-appointed referee as we do so.
For example, we’ve even appropriated the name of the entire continent(s) as the demonym we use to refer to ourselves. Interestingly, this appropriation doesn’t fly in Latin America. I’ve lived in both Central and South America, and have travelled extensively throughout the entire region. In the region, I was generally referred to as “estadounidense,” a term derived from Estados Unidos (United States), which would therefore roughly translate as “United States-ian.” They don’t feel the need to just grant us exclusive use of the term “American.” They too see themselves as “americanos.” [2].
There is a risk of placing too much emphasis on this self-proclaimed elevated status as the nation that can do no wrong. Some will recall President Reagan's description of the country as the “shining city on a hill,” using a clear Biblical metaphor to represent America’s status. I think it’s perfectly natural to be proud of one’s country while acknowledging both the laudatory and unsavory moments of its history, and in so doing, affording others the right to do the same with their own nation or heritage.
One of our bedrock fundamentals throughout history has been self determination. Our War for Independence was fought over this very idea. Yet our actions around the world often violate this notion as clearly as they violate our own Constitution. We’ve created an image of America that even America can’t meet.
Even so, there appears to be a clear distinction between the America of generations previous, and the current America. We’ve always had an exalted image of ourselves. Over time, this image has perhaps been deserved for a few key reasons and undeserved for some other key reasons as well. But now we run the risk of ruining the good qualities America has possessed.
America’s government and corporations have long been controlled by imperialist bankers. America’s government has long lied about the reasons for its actions domestically and abroad. However, this cover of virtue was maintained so successfully because of the true, widespread goodness of its people.
Now, even that veneer of real goodness is slipping away.
Regardless of the pretty rhetoric still employed by our feckless “leaders,” Americans are beginning to genuinely fear for their country just as they’re beginning to truly fear for their families and their livelihood.
Though much of the world is currently at risk as well, it’s clear that the American people and institutions are being directly targeted. It’s also clear that many of our supposed “leaders” are complicit in the destruction. But the destruction of the economy, military, political systems, and culture occurs after or at least alongside the destruction of America’s soul or spirit.
As this happens, what does this mean for the world?
Americanism
Is it America (the country), or Americanism (the spirit and ideals of her good people), that has served as a positive example for others around the world? There’s much to be said for faith, hard work, and the rule of law. There’s much to be said for self-determination, freedom, and even something as simple as the protected right to bear arms. But these are all becoming less emblematic of the country as a whole because they are currently under attack by the government. Any semblance of Americanism only rests with the people, and even their grasp on these ideas seems to be slipping.
If there is any inspiration for others that might come from America currently, it will come by watching the actions of the brave few that stand up to resist the onslaught of tyranny threatening their homeland.
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Notes:
[1]. This type of assessment will always be speculative and therefore debated. Those performing the assessments on our own capabilities/capacities will not be privy to all the information required to make a truly comprehensive evaluation. When it comes to assessing China or Russia, the limitations are obviously starker. That does not mean they aren’t helpful.
[2]. Mil disculpas a todos mis amigos from all over Latin America but I don’t see United States-ian catching on as a clearly understood term here, so I’m still going to use “American” to refer to us, haha.
I served as an MI officer in a peacetime army and trained with Australia-Canada-Britain soldiers. Now I wonder if what we were doing then set the stage for what is happening today. I’m first generation American and my dad, after escaping Germany, served in WWII and Korea at the Yalu River. He tossed his medals out even though he fully retired as an E-7. I wonder if he was disillusioned.
What you wrote resonates with me. Please keep going.