answer:@rojo I’m a Canadian. To be honest, the notion that “the rest of the world looks up to the US” is funny to me. I think that’s something Americans tell themselves to feel good; same thing with the phrase “American exceptionalism”, or my favourite, calling the US president “the leader of the free world”... as of the last time I checked, I live in the free world, and I didn’t vote for your president. The hubris inherent in this phrase still astonishes me. Lately, I watch a lot of American news, and I’m very interested in US politics – I think this is mainly because I discovered liberal pundits who were interesting to watch during the 2008 election. I became a fan of Keith Olbermann (who has now somewhat gone off the deep end), and I love Rachel Maddow. So, I know a lot about your politics, and I can get worked up about the issues. But it shouldn’t be surprising that countries outside the US are much more closely connected to their own histories, cultures, and politics – we’re not actually in awe of America. If anything, we watch you because you have an enormous potential to ruin it all for the rest of us – environmentally, economically, and politically. So… what is it that you think you have “given the world”, exactly?