aped by twin
forces of "integration" and "disintegration", both of them ultimately
beyond human control. In the light of what meets our eyes today, his
previsioning of the operation of this dual process is breathtaking: the
creation of "a mechanism of world inter-communication ... functioning with
marvellous swiftness and perfect regularity";(62) the undermining of the
nation-state as the chief arbiter of human destiny; the devastating
effects that advancing moral breakdown throughout the world would have on
social cohesion; the widespread public disillusionment produced by
political corruption; and--unimaginable to others of his generation--the
rise of global agencies dedicated to promoting human welfare, coordinating
economic activity, defining international standards, and encouraging a
sense of solidarity among diverse races and cultures. These and other
developments, the Guardian explained, would fundamentally alter the
conditions in which the Baha'i Cause would pursue its mission in the
decades lying ahead.

One of the striking developments of this kind that Shoghi Effendi
discerned in the Writings he was called on to interpret concerned the
future role of the United States as a nation, and, to a lesser extent, its
sister nations in the Western hemisphere. His foresight is all the more
remarkable when one remembers that he was writing during a period of
history when the United States was determinedly isolationist in both its
foreign policy and the convictions of the majority of its citizens. Shoghi
Effendi, however, envisioned the country assuming an "active and decisive
part ... in the organization and the peaceful settlement of the affairs of
mankind". He reminded Baha'is of 'Abdu'l-Baha's anticipation that, because
of the unique nature of its social composition and political development
--as opposed to any "inherent excellence or special merit" of its
people--the United States had developed capacities that could empower it to
be "the first nation to establish the foundation of international
agreement". Indeed, he foresaw the governments and peoples of the entire
hemisphere becoming increasingly oriented in this direction.(63)

The role that the Baha'i community must play in helping bring about this
consummation of the historical process had been prefigured in the summons
addressed to His followers by the Bab, at the very birth of the Cause:

O My beloved friends! You are the bearers of the name of God in this