Today on Uncommon Knowledge, Islam historian Bernard Lewis and Commentary editor Norman Podhoretz cover American exceptionalism and imperialism.
“I first came to this country as a visitor in 1956 and came many times after that and then finally moved here in 1974. And I vividly remember my first impressions as a newcomer–some positive, some negative…. In England for any position of trust, you had to have at least two generations of British birth. So, for example, the career of a Kissinger would’ve been impossible in England. Not because he was Jewish–we have Jews rising into high positions–but because he was a naturalized immigrant. On the other hand, the career of a Margaret Thatcher would’ve been impossible in America. It was a woman who became the leader of her party, led it through an election, and won that.”