On the occasion of the World Voices Festival the NY Times asked three authors “to consider the question of America and its role in global political culture”: Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood en E.L. Doctorow.
Doctorow’s piece is by far the best: “To achieve unexceptionalism, the political ideal that would render the United States indistinguishable from the impoverished, traditionally undemocratic, brutal or catatonic countries of the world, do the following:” (…)

“PHASE FOUR If you’re a justice of the Supreme Court, decide that the police of any and all cities and towns and villages have the absolute authority to strip-search any person whom they, for whatever reason, put under arrest.
With this ruling, the reduction of America to unexceptionalism is complete.”

(Read the complete article here.)

I’m afraid that not only the U.S. but most Western countries strive for unexceptionalism.