The US has for 70 years enjoyed the distinction of being the most powerful country in the world by various reasonable metrics, almost certainly the most powerfu

The US has for 70 years enjoyed the distinction of being the most powerful country in the world by various reasonable metrics, almost certainly the most powerful to have ever existed. But is it the greatest country in the history of the world? Depends on what you mean by "great". We've undertaken atrocities; started wars; destabilized entire regions. Despite being unbelievably rich we have people dying to treatable illnesses like diabetes for lack of medical care. We face more violent crime than other comparably rich nations, and whole swathes of non-white individuals have valid reasons to fear the very police force that should serve a protecting role. Despite being in certain respects undereducated, we saddle those who seek higher education with enormous debt burden. I could go on and on. I'm not saying that other nations haven't done things worth vehemently criticizing, but it seems a bit ... gauche to call the US the greatest country in history full stop.