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I think "be that" is awkward because your list is conjunctive. Either remove it or replace with "that is" or "namely," followed by a comma. Technically the em dash replaces those phrases, but they can help you sentence flow better.

I think the first sentence is a little bit heavy with some baggage words. The second sentence is not all that bad. However, I might try something like this:

"Learning about the genesis and operation of a foreign government invites examination of the foreign nation-state's values. Understanding the values and motivations of others promotes empathy and mutual respect: important qualities of any citizen."

"The ideals underlying the birth of a government should be reflected in its method of operation. Knowing others' values often reveals their motivations."

My rephrasing is just an attempt to refine your intended meaning. As written in the original post in this thread, some of the content is simply incorrect or illogical.

I wouldn't use the word birth or born there when referencing the creation of a government. To me, it seems similar to saying you will focus around something instead of focus on something. If that makes sense.

Also, nitpicking but there are very few nation-states left in the world today. Probably not something the reader would care about though unless at some point they took international relations courses haha

As an aside: Have you ever seen the classic movie "The Birth of a Nation" ?

CanadianWolf wrote:As an aside: Have you ever seen the classic movie "The Birth of a Nation" ?

if aimed at me I have not.. not too big on the whole white supremacy thing.. but it does also bring up a good point that not everywhere in the world are empathy and mutual respect seen as virtues of a good citizen

The "empathy & mutual respect" phrase as used by the OP is just wrong. My point regarding the movie title is that the concept of "birth" has long been used when referring to the creation of a nation.

CanadianWolf wrote:The "empathy & mutual respect" phrase as used by the OP is just wrong. My point regarding the movie title is that the concept of "birth" has long been used when referring to the creation of a nation.

he is talking about the creation of a government.. not a nation.. again maybe just my dumb undergrad classes coming forth but they are two very different things