By contrast, China hardly comes across as exceptional, at least as it is understood in the West. Notwithstanding its mounting economic strengths, China is quickly disqualified by its lack of personal freedoms — not just of expression, but also those associated with a democratically elected representative government.
Leadership is also an important element of American exceptionalism. That’s not because US presidents have been unusually brilliant or decisive, with magnetic personalities and extraordinary communication skills, but because they have embraced, if not celebrated, democratic principles. The very concept of American exceptionalism is predicated on the belief that US leaders are wedded to a free and open society, the rule of law, and a capitalist economy.
The US and China have long been the most prominent representatives of two opposing systems: democracy and socialism. But they increasingly share one crucial characteristic — personalised leadership — that blurs the otherwise sharp distinction between the two. This raises the important question: which country is truly exceptional?
American exceptionalism is, of course, taken for granted. There is no formal definition of this lofty state of national supremacy, nor are there any qualifying metrics. To borrow from former US Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart, “I know it when I see it.” Personal freedoms, the rule of law, and economic primacy are often cited as the main reasons why America is the world’s “shining city upon a hill”, as former US president Ronald Reagan famously proclaimed.
