American influence in the world is certainly considerable, but the United States does not control, directly or indirectly, the politics and economics of other societies, as empires have always done, save for a few special cases that turn out to be the exceptions that prove the rule.

American foreign policy, for all its shortcomings, has underpinned political stability around the world.

While analogies are useful, however, they can also be misleading. They smuggle in assumptions that can be wrong.

Great wars can only be fought by great powers.

The American political system is so porous, it's so open, it's so frustrating for those who are trying to make policy.

The values, the programs, the formula, the determination, and the patriotism responsible for America's past success are still here to be tapped.

American power confers benefits on most inhabitants of the planet, even on many who dislike it and some who actively oppose it, because the United States plays a major, constructive, and historically unprecedented role in the world.