Successive regimes found it difficult to win general acceptance from the diverse political constituencies.
But passing time and fashion have not diluted its power, to judge by the cheers from the diverse festival audience.
It is neither scientific nor exhaustive but, from the diverse views, we have identified five key themes, which we believe reflect the core concerns and aspirations of contributors.
Those craving a tale well told were better off sampling the latest from the diverse performance collective known as Slung Low, whose "Last Seen" finished a brief run on Sunday as part of the Almeida Theatre Festival this summer.
Some of the music's eclectic mix derives from the diverse musical backgrounds of the members of the band, which practices in and sometimes performs concerts in a barn in Vernon Township.
But there is a big difference between dramatising the voices of "enemy combatants", as Slovo and Victoria Brittain did in 2005's Guantánamo, and producing a play from the diverse and multi-causal disturbances that convulsed the nation.
What came through the programs and the panels was a sense that in New York, maybe more than in any other city, musical creativity bubbles up from the diverse social, racial and ethnic backgrounds of its musicians.
Here is a primer, culled from the diverse views of administration officials and military analysts, on the military utility of some of the force options before the president to bolster the 68,000 American troops already in Afghanistan.
The BBC is not Midsomer; there are many stories to be told emanating from the diverse communities that make up this country, and the BBC Asian Network plays a big part in helping to articulate them.
As they stepped up to the starting gate tonight, Moni Maker and Magician were the clear choices in the $1 million Breeders Crown Trot final, a far cry from the diverse paths they had taken to reach that point.
This is due to the variability in rain cell sizes resulting from the diverse rain characteristics of the region.
