A Nation Imprisoned in Myths: American Exceptionalism

By Ghazanfar Hashmi

"I invite you to settle in for an insightful ride as Mr. Hashmi guides you through the history, nature, and consequence of American Exceptionalism."

Sada Cumber, Former U.S. Ambassador to OIC

"It looks like a most interesting and timely book on American Exceptionalism."

Noam Chomsky

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ghazanfar Shah
• Release date: May 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781947939981

Ghazanfar Hashmi

Mr. Ghazanfar Hashmi is a highly decorated expert and PhD Scholar in Public Policy. With multiple degrees from universities in Pakistan and USA and as a celebrated writer, Mr. Hashmi is a multi-lingual savant, with expertise in, Public Policy, Diplomacy, Literature and Mass Communication, to name a few. His work in promoting cultural and public diplomacy through engagement with renowned think tanks and research organizations, is being recognized across USA. Given his nearly three decades and expertise in international studies, geopolitical affairs, public policy, and diplomacy, combined with his cerebral knowledge of past civilizations, Mr. Hashmi has spent most of his career pondering and researching the required steps for a nation's exceptionalism.Early in his career, Mr. Ghazanfar Hashmi held various positions in public and private sector including mainstream media as Director, Advisor, Anchor person, and Head of Department for various high-level projects. Consequently, He is well suited to conduct the required research for this book.However, Mr. Hashmi quickly learned that creating a roadmap or blueprint to exceptionalism is no easy task. So, with continued research, combined with countless debates and conversations, he set out to determine "what exactly does it mean to be exceptional?" After all, can't you develop metrics, characteristics or even Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to judge a country's worth or standing? How do you know when it is achieved, and more importantly, how do you know when it is lost? What are the character traits and how do you even gauge when a country is exceptional? Mr. Ghazanfar Hashmi has responded to his calling by writing this book.Mr. Ghazanfar Hashmi is a highly decorated expert and PhD Scholar in Public Policy. With multiple degrees from universities in Pakistan and USA and as a celebrated writer, Mr. Hashmi is a multi-lingual savant, with expertise in, Public Policy, Diplomacy, Literature and Mass Communication, to name a few. His work in promoting cultural and public diplomacy through engagement with renowned think tanks and research organizations, is being recognized across USA. Given his nearly three decades and expertise in international studies, geopolitical affairs, public policy, and diplomacy, combined with his cerebral knowledge of past civilizations, Mr. Hashmi has spent most of his career pondering and researching the required steps for a nation's exceptionalism.Early in his career, Mr. Ghazanfar Hashmi held various positions in public and private sector including mainstream media as Director, Advisor, Anchor person, and Head of Department for various high-level projects. Consequently, He is well suited to conduct the required research for this book.However, Mr. Hashmi quickly learned that creating a roadmap or blueprint to exceptionalism is no easy task. So, with continued research, combined with countless debates and conversations, he set out to determine "what exactly does it mean to be exceptional?" After all, can't you develop metrics, characteristics or even Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to judge a country's worth or standing? How do you know when it is achieved, and more importantly, how do you know when it is lost? What are the character traits and how do you even gauge when a country is exceptional? Mr. Ghazanfar Hashmi has responded to his calling by writing this book.

Book preview

PART ONE

A FOCUS ON WHAT MAKES A COUNTRY SPECIAL AND AN EXCEPTIONAL

Exceptionalism alludes to comparison and hierarchy over other nations. Therefore, it is imperative to talk about the exceptionalism of other nations and how they became considered as a global superpower. There are many attributes that one can look to when considering a nation to be great, but every nation in every era has proved its exceptionalism in different ways. In this part, we are going to look at the exceptionalism from different views, what truly makes a nation great, and what examples have we seen so far.

CHAPTER 1

WHAT MAKES A NATION GREAT

It is imperative that we discuss what makes a country special and what it truly means to be exceptional in the pursuit of the underlying questions about American Exceptionalism. This question goes into how one can govern and make a country great. However, there is hardly any formula or plan that would lead a nation to be great. Instead, it’s a collection of mindsets, goals, a system of government, and well-executed leadership. Nevertheless, we have seen many countries with great leaders, a good system of government, and a good vision for the future, yet they failed. Likewise, there have been countries with glorious geographical resources that have barely been able to scrape by in world economics, while other countries with hostile lands have become leaders of the new world.

Studying the history of both successful and unsuccessful nations gives us lessons we should never forget, and one of those lessons is that a great nation is built mainly on two things: people and their values. In the first section of this book, we will discuss exactly how some countries are greater than others, what makes a country great, and what makes them exceptional. There aren’t many great nations that have made the world a better place, but one thing is for sure: America is one of the nations that has made the biggest impact throughout the world. Therefore, America is a good baseline, or point of comparison, to use when it comes to talking about the greatest nations in the