Comment 22 by RDfan :

@ Red Dog and SheerReason:

I'm no apologist for US domestic or foreign policy. What I do acknowledge is that it's the world's most technologically innovative country (and innovation is a good thing for everyone) and at the same time peopled with some of the planet's most retrograde policymakers and policies. As far as national super powers go, I think an American-led world is probably better than, say, a Chinese-led or Russian-led one. This is just a hunch though. Alternatives to US power seem thin on the ground, to me.

I don't see why any super power or any nation for that matter should be held out as "the world's last, best hope" I think there are rare moments in history when you can say that a country is in some way helping to advance mankind. In some ways the US revolution and role in WWII could be said to have been for the benefit of mankind. But in general I think hope and innovation come from individual and organizations not that much from governments. I do agree there are lots of brilliant and innovative people in the US and a lot of that innovation isn't being utilized right now as well as it could.