To charge, claim and hold the hill
and its scale-tipping strategic importance
After the Second World War, having defeated nazi Germany, the United States of America charged the hill and rightfully claimed to be the shining city on top of it. The Western world looked on in awe and followed US leadership being secure in the foundational belief that they were all working towards the same goal and protecting the same values. Internally America struggled to be the claimant of the hill but with time they made progress also domestically and Americans landed in the belief that they lived in the country that was home of the brave and constituted the land of the free.
This notion lived on and was a decisive advantage in the then bipolar world struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. With all else considered, this constituted the tipping advantage that in the end gave the Western world and the United States the win in global competition. They had charged the hill, claimed to be the protectors of its values and could hold their ground because others agreed.
After this monumental win the United States stood alone at the top of the hill, acknowledged by everyone. Even if certain observers disagreed with the holders of the hill they all accepted that there was one nation holding it and that it could not be challenged on a value basis.
Charging the hill is not an easy task. To then hold it is an even greater one. To not only be able to coerce others to follow but to entice them to want to follow is the deciding factor that settles, in the long term, who runs the world and who does not. For some time the United States was successful in this endeavor.
Today this is no longer true. One could argue at length about exactly when and how this happened, but at present time the United States has lost its prime position. They ceded the hill because they no longer thought it was of essential importance. Since then no one any longer holds the hill. It is up for the taking. Legitimacy within and abroad is key to being able to charge and hold the hill. At the moment no single country has the ability or lives up to the creed.
In the knife-sharp competition between nations this has and will continue to be a decisive factor. To hold the hill will be costly. It will take fairness, accountability, courage, decisiveness, honesty and many other virtues. Economic landscapes will have to be modified and redrawn.
There is a competition. Someone will win. To become the winner changes will have to be made. Vested interests will have to be put aside.
This struggle is not about winning tomorrow. It is about winning the days after that.
The margins are very small. The one that can charge, claim and hold the hill will win.
Update 2026-08-25: Changed “At the moment no single country lives up to the creed.” to “At the moment no single country has the ability or lives up to the creed.”
Update 2026-08-25: Corrected grammar and spelling (going through old posts using a new tool). The content of the text was not changed in any way.