Just as founding father Alexander Hamilton did then, Americans today should look uneasily at division and disunion (“A divided America can still lead the west”, Opinion, July 5).

Economic prowess is not enough to ensure stability and co-operation with other states. Athens, Carthage and Rome, the latter being referenced in Janan Ganesh’s article, were ruined despite their expansive commercial arrangements and economic leadership.

Instead of focusing on economy and currency, empires can reduce divergences by bringing people together with a modern constitution. That is, a story of a place and a people that everyone can relate to. Without such a document, as explained in Hamilton’s The Federalist Papers, a polity will struggle to “trademark” its values and most likely will fail to proclaim itself a leader on the world stage. History amply proves this.

Sebastian Woller
Zurich, Switzerland