• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

What makes a country "great" and is there a "greatest country" right now?

Infinite Chaos

DP Veteran
Joined
Oct 28, 2007
Messages
23,517
Reaction score
15,417
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
As the thread title says:

1) What makes a country "great"

2) Is there a greatest country right now?

I personally think how a country treats its own most vulnerable is more important than its military power or its GDP. I think quality of life and life experience for ordinary citizens makes a country greater than how many other countries it can defeat in battle or the historical dominance it may have once had.

I don't think there is a greatest country right now, though there are definitely some countries at the opposite ends of the spectrum - ordinary citizens live impoverished lives where they have little chance to affect or influence the direction of their nation or where significant minorities / sectors of society live shortened lives because there is little care or support for them.
 
As the thread title says:

1) What makes a country "great"

2) Is there a greatest country right now?

I personally think how a country treats its own most vulnerable is more important than its military power or its GDP. I think quality of life and life experience for ordinary citizens makes a country greater than how many other countries it can defeat in battle or the historical dominance it may have once had.

I don't think there is a greatest country right now, though there are definitely some countries at the opposite ends of the spectrum - ordinary citizens live impoverished lives where they have little chance to affect or influence the direction of their nation or where significant minorities / sectors of society live shortened lives because there is little care or support for them.
To vent own bias (and enormous it is :mrgreen:)

a) not negatively bloody interfering in my life too much.

b) Spain (in the context of above "a")

When I curb that bias I agree with all the points you raise.;)
 
Under Donald Trump, MAGGOT has replaced MAGA.

:twocents:
 
As the thread title says:

1) What makes a country "great"

2) Is there a greatest country right now?

I personally think how a country treats its own most vulnerable is more important than its military power or its GDP. I think quality of life and life experience for ordinary citizens makes a country greater than how many other countries it can defeat in battle or the historical dominance it may have once had.

I don't think there is a greatest country right now, though there are definitely some countries at the opposite ends of the spectrum - ordinary citizens live impoverished lives where they have little chance to affect or influence the direction of their nation or where significant minorities / sectors of society live shortened lives because there is little care or support for them.

IMO, Freedom, and opportunity.

Is there a greatest country? Well, I'm a bit biased, so I'll point to the millions who are trying to come to the United States both legally and illegally as evidence of what the world in general thinks.

How that is taken advantage of is up to the individual.
 
Liberty and freedom of the individual. There is no country greater.
 
Without our military, you'd be saying Hiel Hitler or worshiping the Emperor. Our strong military makes freedom possible.
 
How would you gauge living in a country where there are no rules whatsoever? Just being mischievous.
Fantastic since I could go and shoot a distant neighbor who really has it coming.:lol:
 
How would you gauge living in a country where there are no rules whatsoever? Just being mischievous.



Thanks for the honesty.

You're welcome. I love the United States, and for what it stands for. So I'm certainly going to pick it as the greatest country.
 
Without our military, you'd be saying Hiel Hitler or worshiping the Emperor. Our strong military makes freedom possible.

The Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have done more to guarantee American sovereignty than any military force or weapon system.
 
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.
 
As the thread title says:

1) What makes a country "great"

2) Is there a greatest country right now?

I personally think how a country treats its own most vulnerable is more important than its military power or its GDP. I think quality of life and life experience for ordinary citizens makes a country greater than how many other countries it can defeat in battle or the historical dominance it may have once had.

I don't think there is a greatest country right now, though there are definitely some countries at the opposite ends of the spectrum - ordinary citizens live impoverished lives where they have little chance to affect or influence the direction of their nation or where significant minorities / sectors of society live shortened lives because there is little care or support for them.

Infinite Chaos:

What do you mean by "Great"? Henry Fielding once wrote in the introduction to his History of the Life of Mr. Jonathan Wild the Great:

Greatness consists of bringing all manner of mischief on mankind, and Goodness in removing it…In the histories of Alexander and Caesar, we are frequently, and indeed impertinently, reminded of their benevolence and generosity, of their clemency and kindness. When the former had with fire and sword overrun a vast empire, had destroyed the lives of an immense number of innocent wretches, had scattered ruin and desolation like a whirlwind, – we are told, as an example of his clemency, that he did not cut the throat of an old woman, and ravish her daughters, but was content with only undoing them.

Of great men he wrote:

When the mighty Caesar, with wonderful greatness of mind, had destroyed the liberties of his country, and with all the means of fraud and force had placed himself at the head of his equals, had corrupted and enslaved the greatest people whom the sun ever saw; we are reminded, as an evidence of his generosity, of his largesses [gifts] to his followers and tools, by whose means he had accomplished his purpose and by whose assistance he was to establish it.

Greatness is not necessarily goodness.

What makes a country great is economic, military and political power and the will to use those powers for promoting the country's interests at the expense of others.

Using this definition, the Greatest country on the Earth today is the United States of America because of its economic, political and military strength and also due to the mischief and ruin its military and foreign policies has wrought on the Earth since 1945. The Soviet Union was a contender for greatness and was far more mischievous but its demise during the Cold War ended its run. China is up and coming and may eventually replace the USA as greatest country in the next 20-40 years but right now America is still top dog. China also has a long track record of mischief and ruin on an epic scale.

Now if you want to factor goodness into greatness (which I think should never be done) then you have a much more difficult evaluation to make. Under the hybrid great/good parameter then arguments can be made for other countries which are eclipsed by pure greatness. Modern-day Switzerland, the UK, Post WWII Germany, Brazil until recently and India are in many ways both great and good. China despite its blood-soaked past and authoritarian present is a contender for the hybrid award given the number of people it has lifted out of miserable poverty but its appalling treatment of its Uighur population and its political dissidents, not to mention Tibet, may make such an award controversial.

My preference would be either Post War Germany or the Post War UK as both have largely shed their mischievous abuses of greatness and still strive to give their people a good quality of life for the most part. If Germany turns radically to the right then that will invalidate the choice of Germany. I am also extremely suspicious of the UK surveillance and security state and the cancer of the UK's/City's financial system and off-shore trusts which could invalidate the UK from a final choice. Brazil could be in that club too but for the Bolsonaro and right-wing government which wormed their way into power illegitimately since the downfall of President Dilma Rousseff and the jailing of former President Da Silva to stop him from winning the 2018 presidential elections. India is too chaotic and is gravitating towards becoming as cruel an economic power as its former Portuguese, French and British masters were, so I don't know about India. The harmonious marriage of goodness and greatness is rare indeed, which makes the choice of a hybrid top country so difficult.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
 
Last edited:
Infinite Chaos:

What do you mean by "Great"?

This is an open discussion so you are free to put forward whatever concept you may support or wish to explore.

~ Greatness is not necessarily goodness.

What makes a country great is economic, military and political power and the will to use those powers for promoting the country's interests at the expense of others ~

I would argue that depends on the person or authorities who argue that case. "Greatness" for a sportsperson may or may not vary from the definition of greatness for a product and again from the definition for a country. Personally, I think greatness in the modern concept for a country should include goodness. The Roman Empire could be argued to be one of the greatest (in the old sense as they did use their powers to promote and develop their own and their citizen's status and interests at the expense of vast numbers of "others".)

So my personal definition is included in the OP.
 
As the thread title says:

1) What makes a country "great"

2) Is there a greatest country right now?

I personally think how a country treats its own most vulnerable is more important than its military power or its GDP. I think quality of life and life experience for ordinary citizens makes a country greater than how many other countries it can defeat in battle or the historical dominance it may have once had.

I don't think there is a greatest country right now, though there are definitely some countries at the opposite ends of the spectrum - ordinary citizens live impoverished lives where they have little chance to affect or influence the direction of their nation or where significant minorities / sectors of society live shortened lives because there is little care or support for them.

I know what has made America great.

The individualist ideology set forth in the US Constitution. The exact opposite of Collectivism promulgated by Socialism.

Ruggerad Individualism harnesses peoples desires to achieve while Collectivism make most apathetic.
 
I know what has made America great.

The individualist ideology set forth in the US Constitution. The exact opposite of Collectivism promulgated by Socialism.

Ruggerad Individualism harnesses peoples desires to achieve while Collectivism make most apathetic.

As you ignore one of the greatest opening lines of any document....

"We the People....."
 
As you ignore one of the greatest opening lines of any document....

"We the People....."
Should have said "We the White landowners over 32"

Sent from my Honor 8X using Tapatalk
 
Should have said "We the White landowners over 32"

Sent from my Honor 8X using Tapatalk

True but the meaning has (by accident) changed and developed. I take a huge pinch of salt where anyone claims the forefathers foresaw a multiracial society / multi ethnic equal opportunity society and wrote those lines with whites / blacks and American natives in mind.
 
True but the meaning has (by accident) changed and developed. I take a huge pinch of salt where anyone claims the forefathers foresaw a multiracial society / multi ethnic equal opportunity society and wrote those lines with whites / blacks and American natives in mind.

The forefathers were white racist sexist pigs.. like everyone from Europe was at the time. The only defence is "everyone was like that" but what pisses me off is the whitewashing of history to make these forefathers more than they were. Accept their faults and accept that today it is not accepted because **** changes.
 
Lol. You can always count on Pete to bash the US.

As consistent as Fagan, but with that special tone of entitlement that only a European can conjure.
 
Lol. You can always count on Pete to bash the US.

As consistent as Fagan, but with that special tone of entitlement that only a European can conjure.

So telling the truth about society in the 1700s is now bashing the US? Grow up.
 
Lol. You can always count on Pete to bash the US.

As consistent as Fagan, but with that special tone of entitlement that only a European can conjure.
Cut that out, buster.:lol:

I'm European too.:2razz:
 
I know. You're a good one :)
Grew up long time ago (well, sort of :lol:)

In all fairness though, seeing how neither the terms racist and/nor sexist existed in the times of the Founders (pig being another matter), applying those labels to them in the context of their times isn't really helpful.

If they lived today though and held the values of then and there, twould be different.
 
IMO, Freedom, and opportunity.

Is there a greatest country? Well, I'm a bit biased, so I'll point to the millions who are trying to come to the United States both legally and illegally as evidence of what the world in general thinks.

How that is taken advantage of is up to the individual.

What if Mexico was on the border of Germany? Or France? We are where we are because we stole a lot of really valuable land, bought a lot of really valuable land, used constitutional principles from our then homeland (England) to create a society that erupted through the industrial revolution. Right place, right time, right principles. So I challenge your premise. If you were on point, the number of people trying to get into Paris Hilton's party vs. the number of people trying to get into Joe Smith's 45th birthday party would mean that Paris Hilton is way better than Joe Smith. I know Joe, I was at his party, and he's way cooler than Paris Hilton.

You know that old "it's not the destination, it's the journey" saying? I think it's the same with nations. It's not where we are that we should be judged by, but where we're heading. And I don't know if that puts us head and shoulders above the rest of the world.
 
Back
Top Bottom