The United States Once Made Enormous Contributions to Human Civilization
No matter how aggressive or hypocritical America’s foreign policy may appear today or in recent history, we cannot erase one fundamental fact: the United States has, at times, made enormous and deeply admirable contributions to human civilisation.
Author: GUDORDI | 2025-10-08
Tonight is a very special time for me, and I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to speak before you. I would like to say—but not in the clichés of patriotism, but with a deep understanding of metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, political, and aesthetic roots—that the United States of America is the greatest and noblest nation in human history, and, if judged purely by its founding principles, the only truly moral nation in human history.
This evening means a good deal to me. I feel deeply honored by the opportunity to address you. I can say─not as a patriotic bromide, but with full knowledge of the necessary metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, political and aesthetic roots─that the United States of America is the greatest, the noblest, and, in its founding principles, the only moral country in the history of the world.
—Ayn Rand’s 1974 speech at West Point
In the previous article, the author mentioned that Warren Buffett believes the case of Elon Musk highlights what is unique about the American system. As Buffett put it: “This is America… You just need to dream it…”
In fact, had Musk not come to the United States but instead remained in another country, it is uncertain whether he would have been able to overcome the many challenges along his life journey. Therefore, regardless of how people view America, we must acknowledge that this country has given rise to many extraordinary legends.
America’s Present-Day Position Was Beyond Expectations
Before World War I, the United States did not actually hold a particularly important position on the world stage. At that time, the center of global finance was London. When J. P. Morgan joined the family business, his father was based in London, while his own role in New York was largely to provide information about America to him. The world’s most important financial transactions were conducted in London.
At the time, America’s image resembled that of today’s emerging markets — a country that might attract temporary attention, but one that few believed could become a true global leader.
Of course, World War I changed everything, and the outbreak of World War II shifted the political and economic center of gravity toward the United States with unstoppable force, like a river bursting through a dam. Looking back, it seems that America did not aggressively seek global dominance for itself; rather, the Allied powers — especially Britain — tried every possible way to guide the United States into accepting that role.
In retrospect, figures such as Winston Churchill and John Maynard Keynes likely understood clearly that Britain alone lacked the national strength to sustain the struggle for much longer. As a result, they worked tirelessly to persuade U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and gradually shape American public opinion toward full participation in the war.
Some have even argued that the Attack on Pearl Harbor was, in effect, a carefully planned trap by Roosevelt — designed to lure Japan into striking first, thereby igniting public outrage in America and pushing the entire nation into the war with complete determination.
The Civilized World’s Direct Response to Nazism
America’s Bullying and Hypocrisy Cannot Erase Everything
The author recalls that Ayn Rand once remarked that the United States may be the only country in human history to fully commit itself to fighting a war for the sake of ideals — a war it did not necessarily have to enter. This is a thought-provoking observation.
Whether or not we agree with the quotation mentioned at the beginning of this article, we must still acknowledge one fact: regardless of how aggressive or hypocritical America’s foreign policy may appear today or in recent history, we cannot erase the reality that the United States once made enormous and admirable contributions to human civilization.
This naturally leads to another question: what are the true values and spirit of America? And what implications might this have for the future of Hong Kong?
The author will discuss this further in the next article.
