I left out my main point about the significance of the Third Coast. It’s of the moment to report the US has lost its edge. It is declining empire. The current financial crisis and the last eight years of White House led turbulence shore up that easy and lazy argument. The Heartland (Third Coast) project goes someway towards arming us in refuting that claim. It shows the USA is not simply a market. It is a cultural entity.

It can be argued that the original culture wars started the moment the Pilgrims set sail from Europe (more on them soon). And at its heart America is a cultural entity. The current financial events are merely the latest in a series that started with the Boston Tea Party. It’s easy so to get the financial, cultural and political history of the US confused.

And this is the reason, ultimately, that America will continue to matter after China and India fly by it on the IMF and even UNESCO charts. It will matter for its culture; its sport, its academia and its art.