The ‘Insurrection’ and Its Discontents: ‘American Exceptionalism’ Revisited

The more political chaos and societal division widen, the more the notion of exceptionalism will be exposed as bizarre, selfish, and unsustainable.

Ramzy Baroud
By Ramzy Baroud
American Exceptionalism Feature photo

History is being written in the United States today. Even the most pessimistic about the prospects of American democracy have rarely ventured out this far while offering a bleak analysis of America’s future, whether in terms of political polarization at home or global standing abroad. As shocking and, certainly, telling as the images of thousands

Read Full Article

These Should Be the End Times for American Patriotism

Exceptionalism has always been core to American patriotism, and American exceptionalism is no longer tenable.

Sam Haselby
By Sam Haselby
Alice Butler-Short, a supporter of Virginia Republican Senate candidate Ed Gillespie displays her American flag shoes while she waits for poll results at the election night party at Embassy Suites hotel in Springfield, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Patriotism is the organising passion of modern political life in the United States yet its vitality defies obvious explanation. The country has no national education system. There’s neither compulsory military nor civil service. No government agency distributes the ubiquitous US flags, nor enforces observance of the rituals to country performed at

Read Full Article

Both Democrats and Republicans Are Still Haunted by 2016

Both Democrats and Republicans have lost their moorings, are cut off from their base, and have no ideas of how to rebuild their credibility.

Inderjeet Parmar
By Inderjeet Parmar
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., waves during a campaign rally at Grand View University, on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The American political system and its two main parties are in the deepest legitimacy crisis in their history. There is a struggle being waged for the soul of the nation, for the very identity of America. And it has polarised opinion. Not for nothing do some refer to the situation in America today as a ‘peaceful’ civil war. Unless something changes

Read Full Article

In US, Political Split Outgrows The Voting Booth

Political polarization in America is growing, and peaceful coexistence is increasingly difficult.

Associated Press
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Political polarization in America has broken out of the voting booth. A new survey from the Pew Research Center finds Americans are divided by ideology and partisanship not only when they cast ballots, but also in choosing where to live, where to get their news and with whom to associate. And peaceful coexistence is

Read Full Article