What is the United State's role in the World?

The excerpt below is from the novel, For Our Children. The President of the United States, John Henry, is making a speech to end the economic oppression that is crippling the country. 

     “Ladies and Gentleman of the United States of America, I would like to welcome you on this most important of days,” John began. “For over two hundred years, freedom has been the right of every person and the future of every nation. It is the very nature of man to yearn to live free. But on this July 4th, freedom belongs with God. It’s his gift to humanity and America’s great responsibility to protect it. This is who we are in our world.” John points to a man in the balcony.

     “Sven Haugen, would you stand, please, for everyone to see you,” John asked. “Show your arms and let them see what the scars of oppression really look like.” Sven stood and pulled up his sleeves. He is not a young man. His face is weathered from living a hard life. His hands and arms have scars from years of torture and manual labor. Yet, there seems to be an inner peace about him that transcends his outward appearance. He smiled a particularly warm smile that exuded happiness rarely found in most men. You might say he is content with his world. That's more than most men can say.
     “Sven’s life began in Romania,” John announced. “When he was sixteen years old, a science teacher in his school told him about the creation of the world. Sven believed that God created the world and he said so. He read that in the Bible. Later that day, the secret police escorted him out of school. His parents were told he would be leaving them for a while. Sven spent the next eighteen months in a Romanian prison. He slept on a concrete floor, had an open window with bars that could not stop the freezing winds, and was routinely tortured with electric shock and cigarette burns to his hands and arms.” Sven still standing, nods his head in approval.
     “After eighteen months, he was released. He fled his homeland to Italy where he was hunted. He escaped to Germany but they didn’t want him, either. With no place to turn, only America would accept him. Today, he’s home.” 

     “Sven has lived the words from the Statue of Liberty,” John said. ‘Give us your poor; you’re tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Send these, the homeless, tempest-toss to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door!’ He's a free man in America because we allow people to escape a heartless world of tyranny and oppression.

     This is finally who we are, our role in this world, our destiny. I thank God for the opportunity to let us help you. Your life, your suffering makes us a stronger nation, for what we have to do.”