Responses on: "Feel free to comment on the above question (i.e. why or why not?) "

Informant #18499: The United States is the greatest nation in the world in terms of military firepower and the extent of its economy. The United States is not the only nation that brags about liberty, equality, democracy, and the rights of citizens. So the nation has nothing to say about being the greatest in that political or ideological sense. Unfortunately, the United States has much inequality in many areas of daily life. To be considered the greatest nation means that all Americans have their material needs met and that all Americans are working toward spiritual fulfillment.

Informant #18504: There are also other Countries, which can claim their unique status as for example India was once considered the most oldest and well developed country in the world at one time. In fact USA was discovered by Columbus who was on his way to India.

Informant #18544: I'm beginning to feel as if our leaders are starting to become bullies to the rest of the world. We have soldiers stationed in other countries throughout the world, yet we won't allow other countries to station their soldiers here in our country.

Informant #18579: Because even though it has problems as EVERY country does it allows you to protest or question the flaws

Informant #18654: It is infantile to use the superlative, whether for an individual or for a nation.

Informant #18661: The definition of "greatest" is left up to each individual...US may be economically much advanced but lags behind spiritually

Informant #18667: It depends on who you ask

Informant #18669: Every dominant civilization of its time has felt this way about itself, only to realize that its dominance was a fleeting state. The United States appears to be maintaining its dominance in the world through military, political and cultural aggression against weaker nations. However, from a socio-economic perspective, the disparities seem to be widening. Judicious government seems to be on the wane. Supremacy in a number of areas, ranging from Information Technology to pure sciences, the arts, business and commerce seems to be on the decline. These seem to be harbingers of a reckoning that the people of the country seem thoroughly ill-prepared to face.

Informant #18690: Every nation has its own greatness and shortcomings. What is great in the eyes of one - need not be great for others. There are plusses and minusses in every culture and country and to label a particular country as the greatest - reveals the shortsightedness of the people who do that!

Informant #18693: Any person can rise to their full potential with hard work and a little luck, unemcumbered by their ethnic background, race or religion.

Informant #18697: Generally "greatest" refers to prosperity and dominance of the nation. History shows that many nations which were at the peak are no more there. USA is the only super power at present - doesn't mean it will be so in eternity!

Informant #18702: 1. Freedom 2. Low corruption

Informant #18716: It's hard to say greatest. Yes, it is a great country, but so are other countries.

Informant #18724: If it is not true why do a lot of people try to come here and millions of immigrants here

Informant #18750: The definition of greatness does not mean that a country is great if it has power and wealth.

Informant #18751: Agree with mixed feelings. A great nation should have acted with more restraint with respect to Iraq. America does not practise what it preaches to other countries esp human rights.

Informant #18765: The fact that I was able to come to USA was like hitting a lottery in life. Only about 300 million of us in this world have the opportunity currently

Informant #18767: B'cos it's the land of freedom, liberty, women's rights, etc.

Informant #18769: It is hard to define "greatest". Many things and countries could fall in this catogory. It all depends on what aspect one is looking at.

Informant #18790: Honest hard work can still give you a comfortable life. But there is too much impulsiveness and selfishness in the culture.

Informant #18791: We are certainly the most powerful economic and military entity in the world. However, we are also a nation of isolationists who don't really know much about other countries. We are an egotistical and imperialistic nation with a capitalist obsession to dominate the world. At the same time we are a society that allows people more freedom than most of the countries I have seen.

Informant #18794: This is another difficult question to answer. While many aspects of the U.S. - government, society, education, etc. etc are admirable and worthy of emulation, whether it is the "greatest" nation is questionable. On specific instances, the "can do" attitude of the U.S. is admirable. At the same time, this very attitude is responsible for lot of the negative feelings that U.S., as a nation, generates both here and abroad.

Informant #18829: Iraq war.

Informant #18860: I agree that US is a great nation, as it helps a lot of people in different countries but would like them to change some of their policies as, one of hand they want democracy in some parts of the world and on the other hand help dictatorships and punish other democratic countries in the world.

Informant #18861: The vastness of the land, along with its natural resources and the unity of the people has served to provide the citizens with a good degree of comfort. Its wealth has fueled research in medical and scientific fields. The freedom of the people to achieve whatever they want makes this truly a great nation. It is upto the people to use this freedom in a responsible way.

Informant #18919: It certainly is not the greatest nation because most WASP are not educated about the other ethnicity and the minorities.

Informant #18952: There are flaws within the American system but i truly believe this country is the best. You can have your own opinion without fear of being punished.

Informant #18957: I think the US has more opportunity available than most other countries. While it has many imperfections, there is some chance to change things. There is still some opportunity for a person of "lower" SES to "climb" upward.

Informant #18964: It might be strong, but USA should look at the problems inside it. I mean the social problem, divorcce, abuse and a lot of bad things. Strong is not only by power.

Informant #18974: i think that america is great at a lot of things, especially considering the size of the country, which should make it much harder to manage.