America Through the Eyes of the World: Freedom and Power

Introduction: A Nation of Conflicting Images

America — without doubt the most powerful nation on earth and the sole superpower of the 21st century — evokes vastly conflicting feelings in people around the world, depending on their individual paradigm: the lens through which they view the world. To most people, America is a symbol of prosperity, freedom, and equal opportunity. To others, however, it is a source of equally negative feelings, as they resent its wealth and its economic, cultural, and military dominance. This Jekyll-and-Hyde image of the country, though surprising to many Americans, is not difficult to understand when examined in its historical, political, and cultural context.

This essay looks at America through the eyes of outsiders — examining what it means to people from different countries as a state, as a people, and as a geographic region. It considers what larger ideas and movements the country represents, whether it is truly a land of opportunity, and how philosophers such as Plato, Voltaire, Bismarck, and Marx might have evaluated it.

Liberty, Equality, and Democracy

Although the origins of the United States are rooted in the European colonization of the Americas beginning in the 16th century, the nation's ideals are wedded to the Declaration of Independence, in which the founding fathers committed the country to the concepts of equality, democracy, and liberty. These principles have guided all subsequent U.S. politics, forms of government, economic policies, and social trends.

In incorporating these ideas into the Declaration of Independence and, later, the U.S. Constitution, the founding fathers were greatly influenced by the 17th-century English philosopher John Locke and his political theories. Locke's ideas — including the supreme sovereignty of the people, their natural right to change a government that does not serve their interests, the separation of church from state, and rule by the majority — are clearly reflected in the American Declaration of Independence. Locke first elaborated these ideas in his Second Treatise of Civil Government in 1690.

Immigrants' View of America

An immigrant or visitor to America today still has much to look forward to. The vast and varied geography of the country — stretching from the tropics to the edge of the Arctic Circle — has attracted, and continues to attract, a wide variety of people. The relatively low population density and high standard of living are among its major draws for prospective immigrants. But what has truly proved to be the greatest magnet is the freedom of expression and the promise of equal opportunity. This freedom is the greatest asset of American society. Sadly, the post-9/11 paranoia and the draconian laws introduced in its wake now threaten that very freedom. A Muslim or a person of Middle Eastern origin would likely think twice before choosing to immigrate to America in this climate.

In any case, the country tends to look far more attractive from the outside — especially to people from poor and developing nations — than it actually proves to be for a new arrival. The access to resources available to an established American is not the same as that available to a recent immigrant.