That city on a hill? Yeah, it's no longer in the US but in Europe now.

I liked this article. Had some problems with it. For example, I think the author (deliberately or not) completely glosses over a good deal of the racism that exists in Europe. I think it's easy to say Europe is "younger" than the US, knowing that most Americans think of "old Europe" as Europe; a bit of a dodge, you ask me.

Still, overall it's worth your time imo:

The world faces two major challenges in the 21st century. First, how do we advance the institutions and practices capable of enacting a desirable quality of life for a burgeoning global population of 6.5 billion people? And second, how do we do all that in a way that does not exacerbate the severe impacts of global warming and environmental degradation? Put another way, how do we allow China, India, Brazil and other countries to come up in the world without burning up the planet in a Venus atmosphere of our own creation?

It is a tall order—yet also the defining task of the 21st century. And more than anyone, Europe has forged the types of innovations and institutions that point the way forward for the world to meet these twin challenges.

Europe is now the world’s largest trading bloc, producing nearly a third of the world’s economy, almost as large as the U.S. and China combined. Europe has more Fortune 500 companies than the U.S. and China together, and more small businesses creating two thirds of the jobs in Europe, compared to only half the jobs in the U.S. Europe is the largest trading partner with both the U.S. and China, and had a higher per capita annual growth rate than the U.S. from 1998-2008 (until the global economic collapse). And currently the continent previously known as the land of high unemployment has a lower unemployment rate than the United States. So contrary to the myths and stereotypes, Europe’s economy is robust and competitive, producing a great deal of wealth. This is not socialism, as some have claimed, it’s fully capitalist in its orientation.