Special report | American values
Living with a superpower
Some values are held in common by America and its allies. As three studies show, many others are not
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“WE SHARE common values—the common values of freedom, human rights and democracy.” Thus George Bush in the Czech Republic on November 21st; but it could have been him, his national security adviser or his secretary of state at almost any time.
Now consider this: “It is time to stop pretending that Europeans and Americans share a common view of the world... Americans are from Mars and Europeans are from Venus.” Thus the Carnegie Endowment's Robert Kagan; but it could have been any number of transatlantic pessimists at any point in the past two years.
This article appeared in the Special report section of the print edition under the headline “Living with a superpower”
Special report January 4th 2003
From the January 4th 2003 edition
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