issue170

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TOPIC: ISSUE170 - "The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people."

What is the surest indicator of a great nation? If one suggest that a particular single factor like military, economic and culture to indicate a great nations, it certainly wrong, because it has to a combination of elements which come together to facilitate the formation of great nations. Since 15th century, the great discoveries of geography, many nations board on the stage of world history. Among them, Portugal, Spain, which through colonial plunder to accumulate wealth to dominate the world; Holland, England, which rely on global trade and thus become a great nation, and United States, which lead the third industrial revolution so that it become a superpower of the world in the late 20th century.

Many people, include the speaker consider that Sweden, Switzerland, and other high-welfare state can be called great nations. The reason is although these countries do not have very good military, economic, cultural and artistic achievements, citizens there have a rich and peaceful life and twice World War did not spread to there. Indeed, this is a great achievement that these nations give their people well-beings. But to notice All these are the results of scientific and economic development which improve by other country. Just think, if without the contribution of other countries in the world, how these high-welfare states get resources to feed their people who do not work? For this reason, I do not agree that welfare can truly indicate a great nation. Furthermore, why a nation be named as “great nation” by people over the world not just because it can bring benefits to its
own people, while more importantly, it should bring the well-beings to other people all over the world, and also makes contributions to the progress of the whole mankind. In this sense, Sweden and Switzerland do not have qualifications to be a great nation.

Then what kind of country that can really be called a great country? I believe that there are only 4 countries that can truly be called "great nation": Holland, England, America and the Soviet Union. For the previous three countries, their economics have being booming for a time and they have left us many heritages that we still in use: In 17th century, Dutch businessmen have create stock exchanges, banks and credit system which we still use today and combine them well resulting in the explosive growth of wealth. Then England, under the guidance of economist Adam Smith, put liberal economy to the extreme, in order that the empire of the sun disdains the world for more than two centuries. After that America find a solution to drawbacks of the free market economy model and put into government intervention, as a result, U.S. economy continues to soar. Moreover on the rode of becoming great nations, they did not bring disasters to other countries like Portugal and Spain. As to why the Soviet Union is a great nation. In World War II the Soviet Union people defend justice and peace with great sacrifice. Just the thing alone indicates that the Soviet Union deserves the title of a great nation.

Maybe there are other factors that can help formatting a great nation. Whatever it is, one thing is certain, in today’s closely world, a country want to be a real great nation cannot through the way of force expansion. And in the present world situation, a country which just to seek happiness for their own people rather than focus on the whole world and bring well-being to people around the world will not be named as a great nation neither.