How important is identity?

Fareed Zakaria presents an idea to the rest of America that I think any Immigrant instinctively knows is right. Our perspective when it comes to understanding the world outside America is unique and nuanced because for a long amount of time many of us were not American or did not live in America. This gives us an ability to understand the impacts of policy in a far more realistic way than a native born American with limited world exposure (ie the majority of the US population). I found myself in violent agreement with his thesis. Good read.

The Power of Personality
"When I talk to people in a foreign country, no matter how strange, they are always familiar to me"

I never thought I'd be in this position. There's a debate taking place about what matters most when making judgments about foreign policy—experience and expertise on the one hand, or personal identity on the other. And I find myself coming down on the side of identity.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/78157