My opponent's argument of nationalistic relativism disregards fundamental differences between countries and strikes me as naive. Despite the quote from Obama's speech, it would be hard to argue that because Greeks believe in "Greek exceptionalism," America and Greece sit in equal standing.
My colleague makes a fair point about the Patriot Act impinging on civil liberties, but she fails to acknowledge the global context that prompted the law's enactment. The United States is currently doing more than any other country in the world to fight Islamic fundamentalism, the world's biggest threat to democracy. This movement is run by terrorists who purposely blur the line between combatant and civilian and use our own legal system against us.
The argument is also filled with shameless plugs for Sola's own political leanings. Criticisms of American support for Israel and American policies in the Arab world do not speak to whether or not America is the greatest nation - they simply reflect the political persuasions of the author. Furthermore, Sola points out high levels of intolerance in American society as if other democracies do not experience extremism. In the aforementioned "exceptional" Greece, the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party now holds 18 seats in the Hellenic Parliament, while the English Defence League in Great Britain intimidates Muslims with violent street riots.
And as I anticipated, she relies heavily on statistics to evaluate America. I could easily find an index where America ranked first, but instead I will respond to those included by my opponent. Our public education system is admittedly not the best, but statistics cannot capture the ingenuity fostered by our classrooms. And while we rank fifth in global competitiveness, my opponent fails to recognize that the four countries ahead of us - Switzerland, Singapore, Sweden and Finland - have neither the societal nor the geographical diversity that exists in the U.S.
So let me end with a quote of my own. The scholar Robert Kagan once said, "The present world order - characterized by an unprecedented number of democratic nations, a greater global prosperity ... than the world has ever known and a long peace among great powers - reflects American principles and preferences."
