It is almost November, 2026. The midterm election is scheduled for 3 November – very soon. We are almost halfway through Donald Trump second (!) presidency. We re-elected him! I read about him every day – it’s impossible to avoid it, unless I just choose to avoid all news, and all social media of any kind. I don’t choose to do so – I like to read the NY Times in the morning, the Economist regularly and a variety of social media sources, but mostly for “social” purposes – what are my old friends saying and doing.
Today I find myself wondering – what will this period of time in our country look like from the future looking back. I’m not sure just how far in the future I should look – 4 years? 10 years? 20 years? (I might or might not still be here by then). How will history judge this period of time? How many books will be written and how will the world see the USA looking back.
I guess the first thing to wonder is what the USA will be like in that future. Will we be “back to normal?” Will we have leadership that looks more like the leadership from our history, making the USA a country to be admired and envied? Will our democracy survive? Will we be able to recover from this period of time when we destroyed much of our credibility as world leaders? I’m not sure I can see it from here. I’m afraid that the damage done is permanent. I think the USA being seen as a leader will be set in historical perspective much as the United Kingdom’s global leadership is viewed – as a point in time in history. People will say “remember when the USA was the nation that led the world in so many ways?” Then I wonder – is that so bad?
The USA will still be a comfortable place to live, I believe that. The many countries who admired and depended on USA support for defense and help for their poor and ill will have moved on. I can already see the makings of new alliances that do not include the USA and do not genuflect to our leadership. Canada is building an alliance with western Europe. Perhaps we will look back and think that this is all for the best – these new alliances might become strong – strong enough to stand firm against those strong dictators in places like Russia, North Korea and elsewhere. Perhaps these alliances will no longer permit strongmen like Netanyahu to turn Israel into a pariah rather than a sympathetic home for jews. Perhaps these alliances will enable Ukraine to survive as an independent and flourishing country (again) and enable Palestine to survive and thrive, next to Israel. Will China become the new “leader of the free world?”
What then, becomes of the USA? I can see us becoming just another country, not the “special one” that we have alway thought of ourselves as leaders. The USA will be – hopefully – a continuing work in progress, a democracy, and healthy economy and (still) a comfortable place to live and visit. I hope we will be seen as a country that is safe and as good to visit as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. I hope our leaders – in this not too distant future – will be men and women who set good examples and who encourage peace and prosperity. I hope that our future leaders are people who children can look up to and admire.
I fear however that the future will judge us very harshly. Having grown up over 250 years to become a nation to envy, history will judge us with clear eyes. History will not turn away from the racism (slavery) and genocide (native americans) and bias (treatment of immigrants, legal or not) that taint our reputation. I don’t yet see how we can recover from this – our current leadership has enabled the many people who carry such bias and ignorance to believe that this is ‘their’ country and should be protected as such. They don’t realize that it is a nation of immigrants.
I predict that history will judge us sharply. The era of Donald Trump will be seen as an unfortunate epoch in the history of our country, but it will also enable the world to see the USA with clear eyes – the good and the not so good from our history. I don’t see us resuming our post as “leaders of the free world,” but I hope that we will recover our place as a nation to admired.
I am expecting my first grandchild next year. This grandchild won’t even live in the USA because my child refuses to move (back) to the USA. I don’t blame her, and understand why she chose her home. I do hope that this grandchild will grow up and see the USA clearly – as a place with faults and disgraceful periods of its history, but with much to admire. Another of my children refuses to have children, largely because she doesn’t think bringing a new child into this world is fair to that child. I suppose most nations have disgraceful periods in their history. The USA has been admired despite how we treated people who are not with white skin. Most of our leaders have over time leaned toward correcting this defect in our national psyche. Most of our leaders were people (men, mostly) to admire and respect. I do think that our country can return to this place of respect.
I hope the first small step comes on November 3 of this year.
