Well, before America, there were hardly any countries choosing leaders by the populace voting. Pretty much whomever had the most power ruled, and if you didn't like it, you had to assemble enough physical power to forcefully remove them.
So America has been one of the biggest experiments in the world, besides communism, and we have been shown how it was a *MASSIVE* failure, and America was a huge success, directly advancing Science, Math, Nuclear Science, so on and so forth, to become the strongest force on the face of the planet Earth.
America's cornerstone has been truth, morality, and hard work. A few decades ago, communist socialism forces began to errode the foundation of America on multiple different fronts. To the point now, that most folks lack any sort of morality, and everyone is out for themselves and what they can get and obtain, screw everyone else. The loss of morality has caused addtional internal conflict, as the US system of law is based on morality and religion.
Its funny how all the little asian island nations forget all that America did for them against the Japanese and the Chinese, and aided them to help them achieve more than they have in the past 10,000 years. Clinton spent alot of effort giving secrets to the Chinese and the Japanese(in order to reverse progress), and in future years, I'm sure you folks out there will enjoy paying the price. Many of you should listen carefully to your elders and learn and understand how terribly brutal both of these nations have been to your countries in the past. Young boys taken to be bullet sponges, and hundreds of thousands of young ladies as sex slaves.
robertteh - I understand your ambitions to be the next Mao Tse-Tung and Stalin super-hybrid, taking the things they did to folks to an entirely new level, but please, for the love of humanity, stay out of politics.
You are obivously highly ignorant and extremely head strong and I am certain Japanese blood runs in your veins. And very mis-informed, as you didn't even bother to look at the links I provided. Do yourself a favor and visit those links.
You could do much by following the example of the mongolian priests, and learn patience, and check out things before jumping into the frey like a grasshopper, only to be swallowed whole by the slow crane.
If you are a product of the Singapore political system, a completely brainwashed ingorant zealot follower, I apoligze for my remarks, as it is not your fault you follow the coat tails of others. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.