I am all too often disappointed in the shortsightedness, the meretricious moralism, and the self-interestedness of our current leaders, who often seem less like statesmen and national leaders and more like corporation flacks — shortsighted, self-righteous, anachronistic cold warriors intent on imposing an outdated worldview and cultural hegemony on a diverse, protean world. This is a sad state of affairs, which bodes ill for the future.
— Lama Surya Das, Spiritual Perspectives on America's Role as Superpower