We are a divided nation. Pick an affiliation: red state, blue state, urban, rural, evangelical, agnostic, white, brown, conservative, liberal, …
Pick a reason: media deregulation, immigration, campaign finance, income inequity, no common enemy, political election strategies, globalization,…
Each year Foreign Policy and the Fund for Peace publish the Failed States Index ranking countries according their vulnerability to violent collapse and social deterioration. Somalia, Chad, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Iraq are among the top ten must vulnerable. Countries at the stable/sustainable end of scale include Finland, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, and Canada. The index is based on social, economic and political conditions summarized at the conclusion of this blog[1], but a sample of questions the analysts ask should give Americans pause:
- Is there a large economic gap?
- Is there public scapegoating of groups believed to have acquired wealth, status or power as evidenced by “hate” radio, pamphleteering, and stereotypical or nationalistic political rhetoric?
- Are there hidden economies, including drug trade and capital flight?
- Does the government have the confidence of the people?
- Is the government representative of the population?
- What are the general conditions of public services and are roads and other infrastructure adequate and safe?
Americans are indeed fortunate to live in a well-functioning country (ranked 19th out of 177), but we must not squander our good fortune. We have real work to do. Opportunity for social and economic success must warrant the buy-in, which means citizens must believe that the sacrifice and hope for a better life are justified. We must re-discover tolerance of individual and cultural differences and end the name-calling and blame-game. We are a community; we sink or swim together. We must (again) be willing to ask what we can do for our country, not what our country can do for us. Government is a solution, not a problem. Civil service is noble, not dishonorable. What can be a higher calling than contributing to the well-being of others, certainly not individual wealth? We need to invest in our politics and we need to invest the infrastructure upon which everything depends—education, transportation, information, discovery, energy, air, water, agriculture, climate, markets and government.
How do we get from current politics that accentuate our differences and demean the community to a future full of hope, prosperity, and diversity? We adopt and practice an ethos of care. We accept some inefficiencies, forgo maximum profits, tolerate mistakes, accept imperfect knowledge, and willingly sacrifice personal gain today with the hope of greater rewards in the future.
We need to care about what we share. Most Americans want clean air, convenient commutes, safe food and water, jobs that provide dignity, equal access to justice and political power, the opportunity and responsibility to succeed, and freedom to speak, assemble and worship as we wish. Most Americans fear illness, infirmity, the bad luck of being in path of a natural disaster, and losing control over our future. These things we share. These things we address because we care.
[1] The indicators of failed states in more detail:
- High population density relative to food and water supply. Settlement patterns that limit the freedom to participate in economic activities. Skewed population distributions such as a “youth or age bulge.” Vulnerability to natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, drought, etc.) and pressures stemming from epidemics, such as HIV/AIDS, bird flue, SARS, and other contagious diseases.
- Forced uprooting of large communities as a result of random or targeted violence and/or repression, causing food shortages, disease, lack of clean water, land competition, and turmoil that can spiral into larger humanitarian and security problems, both within and between countries.
- A legacy of vengeance-seeking paranoia such as institutionalized political exclusion and public scapegoating of groups believed to have acquired wealth, status or power as evidenced in the emergence of “hate” radio, pamphleteering, and stereotypical or nationalistic political rhetoric.
- A “brain drain” of professionals, intellectuals and political dissidents fearing persecution or repression and, as a consequence, the rise of exile communities mobilizing elsewhere.
- Uneven economic development and opportunity, including group-based inequality, or perceived inequality, in education and economic status, poverty levels, and infant mortality rates.
- Rise of crime and delegitimatizing the state through corruption or profiteering by ruling elites, resistance of ruling elites to transparency, and widespread loss of popular confidence in government institutions and processes.
- Deterioration of basic government functions, including failure to protect citizens from terrorism and violence and to provide essential services, such as health, education, sanitation, public transportation, etc.
- Suspension of the rule of law and widespread violation of human rights
- Emergence of state-sponsored or state supported “private militias” that terrorize political opponents, suspected “enemies,” or civilians seen to be sympathetic to the opposition.
- Fragmentation of ruling elites and state institutions along ethnic, class, clan, racial or religious lines.
- Economic intervention by outside powers, including multilateral organizations, through large-scale loans, development projects, or foreign aid, such as ongoing budget support, control of finances, or management of the state’s economic policy, creating economic dependency.