". . . After all this, you would think folks understand a basic truth -- never bet against the United States of America. (Applause.) And one of the reasons is that the United States has been, and will always be, the one indispensable nation in world affairs. It's one of the many examples of why America is exceptional. It's why I firmly believe that if we rise to this moment in history, if we meet our responsibilities, then -- just like the 20th century -- the 21st century will be another great American Century. That's the future I see. That's the future you can build. (Applause.) . . ."

Source: "Remarks by the President at the Air Force Academy Commencement" by President Barack Obama, 23 May 2012, posted at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/05/23/remarks-president-air-force-academy-commencement

Via: #5 at http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/oz4k7/americans_came_to_believe_that_their_wealth_and/c3l9tq4

". . . With the notable exception of the War of 1812, the United States did not face any significant foreign incursions in the 19th century. It contained the threat from both Canada and Mexico with a minimum of disruption to American life and in so doing ended the risk of local military conflicts with other countries. North America was viewed as a remarkably safe place.

Even the American Civil War did not disrupt this belief. The massive industrial and demographic imbalance between North and South meant that the war's outcome was never in doubt. The North's population was four times the size of the population of free Southerners while its industrial base was 10 times that of the South. As soon as the North's military strategy started to leverage those advantages the South was crushed. Additionally, most of the settlers of the Midwest and West Coast were from the North (Southern settlers moved into what would become Texas and New Mexico), so the dominant American culture was only strengthened by the limits placed on the South during Reconstruction.

As a result, life for this dominant 'Northern' culture got measurably better every single year for more than five generations. Americans became convinced that such a state of affairs -- that things can, will and should improve every day -- was normal. Americans came to believe that their wealth and security is a result of a Manifest Destiny that reflects something different about Americans compared to the rest of humanity. The sense is that Americans are somehow better -- destined for greatness -- rather than simply being very lucky to live where they do. It is an unbalanced and inaccurate belief, but it is at the root of American mania and arrogance. . . ."

Source: "The Geopolitics of the United States, Part 2: American Identity and the Threats of Tomorrow" by Dr. George Friedman, published at http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/geopolitics-united-states-part-2-american-identity-and-threats-tomorrow

See also: "The Geopolitics of the United States, Part 1: The Inevitable Empire" by Dr. George Friedman, published at http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/geopolitics-united-states-part-1-inevitable-empire

"An American's View of the U.S. Negotiating Style by John W. McDonald: http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/archives_roll/2001_03-06/mcdonald_negot/mcdonald_negot.html

"Fiscal Crises and Imperial Collapses: Historical Perspectives on Current Predicaments" by Niall Ferguson, 13 May 2010: http://www.iie.com/events/event_detail.cfm?EventID=152&Media

Via: http://www.iie.com/events/event_detail.cfm?EventID=152

Letter from Alexis de Tocqueville "To Ernest de Chabrol New York, June 9, 1831": http://mail.baylorschool.org/~jhooper/APUSH_Hooper/FOV4-00015853/Tocquevilleetc.doc

"Experts Caution U.S. on Overconfidence on World Stage" by Rick Maze, posted on 28 March 2012: http://www.defensenews.com/article/20120328/DEFREG02/303280006/Experts-Caution-U-S-Overconfidence-World-Stage

"America's Place in the New World" by Charles A. Kupchan, published on 7 April 2012: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/opinion/sunday/americas-place-in-the-new-world.html?pagewanted=all

"View from abroad: US facing woes, but still No. 1" by David Crary, posted on 27 March 2012: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/View-from-abroad-US-facing-woes-but-still-No-1-3432040.php

"Not Fade Away: The myth of American decline" by Robert Kagan, posted on 11 January 2012: http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/magazine/99521/america-world-power-declinism

"America's Imperial Ambition" by G. John Ikenberry, published in the September/October 2002 issue of Foreign Affairs: http://www.u.arizona.edu/~volgy/ikenberry.html

PDF version: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~rgibson/Ikenberry.pdf

"The U.S. Power Complex: What's New" by Tom Barry, published by Foreign Policy In Focus on November 2002 in Special Report #20: http://web.archive.org/web/20090903161751/www.fpif.org/pdf/papers/SRpower.pdf

"Maintaining American Power: From Injury to Recovery" by Paul Kennedy: http://books.google.com/books?id=kK--If_cTCEC&pg=PA55&lpg=PA55