Great People and Nation – Anomalies in Words and Deeds
Ambassador Curtis A. Ward
Commentary
Great People and Nation – Anomalies in Words and Deeds
Today, I share with you my perspectives,
On being a great people and nation – anomalies in words and deeds,
and on the responsibilities of citizens of all nations, in particular of the most powerful country in the world.
Throughout history, there have been countries which ascribed unto themselves the notion that they are the moral leaders of the international community. Countries are able to perpetuate this fiction of superiority through the power of their military forces, the strengths of their economies, and through other indices of domination. The leaders and agents of these countries falsely portray to, and demand of the world standards of behavior they themselves fail to promote and practice either at home or abroad.
No country can rightly ascribe unto itself the claim of being a great nation, until the leaders they choose treat all of their citizens equally – the highest and the lowest, regardless of class, race, creed, or nationality, with dignity, compassion, and love.
No country in their external relations can be considered great when they fail to treat other countries, and all peoples, regardless of national origin, with respect.
A country is not great, and cannot claim greatness, until the laws and policies of the nation grant the same level of protection and equal access to natural justice for all its citizens; until all citizens have equal opportunity to live the lives they dream of and not the lives relegated to them because of dint of circumstances not of their own free will.
No leader can be considered great by virtue of being the head of government in any country merely because of the power of the country to wield global influence commensurate with the superior powers of its military forces or the strength of the country’s economy.
No leader that promotes bigotry, racism, or any form of xenophobia and prejudice, can be called great in reality or perception.
No leader who treats mendacities as truths, or who treats facts as fiction and fiction as facts, has the moral authority to lead a great nation or claim global leadership.
No country that puts leadership in any man or woman who ascribes to such licentiousness, in words or deeds, can be called great.
Any country which perpetuates such debauchery has a moral deficit and loses its greatness and its capacity for global leadership.
No civilization that promotes individuals to the pinnacle of power who seek to deny or limit the rights of their citizens their unalienable freedoms, including to freely exercise their right to vote can be called great. Those who by their silence condone or ignore the debauchery of their leaders relegate their nation to ignominy and disapprobation.
They defy all logic, I dare say are hypocritical, as they impose artificial standards abroad on others which are mere illusions at home. They defy and destroy well-established international norms, yet expect other countries to adhere to those norms. I wish in reality it was otherwise. I wish these standards were universal in application, and that no leader or country would fall short in implementation. Adherence to these high standards must be the norm.
The standards I espouse, especially in these troubled times, should awaken the peoples of all nations to reflect on where we are as global citizens, and how we correct the dangerous course we have been traversing in the past four plus years. It matters not whether the country is geographically large or small, militarily or economically powerful, or weak.
No country is excused from the highest standards of behavior, but the responsibility of the people is exponentially greater for countries which occupy a perch above all others because of, and not in spite of, their powerful military forces, or by virtue of the strength of their economies.
Unless these standards are adhered to, no country can ascribe unto itself the claim of being a great nation.
It is incumbent on all citizens of the world, in small and large, weak and powerful countries, to choose leaders with moral and intellectual capacities to lead their respective countries. No nation can be called great if their chosen leadership is morally bankrupt. We must choose leaders who demonstrate the qualities of greatness; leaders who have the temperament and moral character to guide our countries to recognition of greatness.
Elections are times of reckoning in democratic societies everywhere. The citizens of each country have a responsibility to choose leaders of firm moral underpinnings and integrity.
Americans have the responsibility to restore the nation and reclaim its rightful position on the global stage, to reassert American global leadership with the moral authority the world expects and deserves.
Let’s do it!
© 2020 Curtis A. Ward/The Ward Post and CaribNation Television
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Ok my friend, having read your very interesting post my question to you is “What country do you consider the greatest country in the world at present?”
Perhaps the question should be why is the US no longer regarded as the leader of the free world? Also, is it because the people have shown extremely poor judgement in selecting a leader who has no appreciation of the post-World War II role of the US? Remember it is the people who made the choice and it is the people who elected the keepers of the checks and balances and not hold them accountable. The rest of the free world looks to the US for global leadership, especially in times of a global crisis. No other country can match the resources of the US – military might and economic power. The US remains the Country with the greatest military power and the country with the largest economy, but that is not how a country’s greatness is measured. Greatness is not measured by how much money you have in your pocket or in the bank, or whether you are the baddest kid on the block, or the most feared school yard bully. Greatness is defined by character which is exemplified in deeds. Not to mention, the fact that the leadership of the US (the president and the top Foreign policy administration officials) are all anti-globalists.