Firstly, let’s get the Canadian thing out of the way. I am a Canadian, born and bred, so why do I care about American politics? There are two significant reasons. One, I studied political science in university and have always found the combative nature of American politics interesting with its checks and balances. This fractious system also makes it entertaining in a way that Canadian politics is not, at least to me. I follow Canadian politics closely because I live here, not because it is fun. The other reason is that the States are still the world’s foremost power. While there are challengers, I am looking at you, China, and also-rans like Russia; the US is the world leader, and what they do has global impacts in a way that other nations do not. They shape foreign policy, technology and culture in a way that other countries do not. For this reason, their politics requires observation to understand what is happening in the world.
I am not anti-American and believe they have been a force for good and stability in the post-war era. Are they perfect? No. Have mistakes been made? Sure, lots of them. But overall, I hope they do well because it is best for their global order if they do.
With the long preamble about why I care about who will be the next President out of the way, let’s get on with why I am worried. Right now, both Former President Trump and current President Biden look like they are on the glide path to being their respective party nominees. Neither should be, and the states would be better off with someone else in charge.
Trump neither has the character nor intellect to be President again. I know that Trump people love him, and I understand why; they think he is a tribune of the people, fighting for them against a corrupt and immoral order. He is the wrong person to do this as he, himself, is a dishonest and immoral person. His election denials and actions on January 6th show him unworthy of the position. His narcissism and unpredictability make it dangerous to have him back in power. His tendency to admire thugs and strongmen is worrisome.
He needs to be defeated in the primaries as he and his followers will not believe any election result that does not put him in power. It will be dangerous if they feel they have been cheated a second time. Even more dangerous is if he is taken out through legal means. His supporters already believe the system is corrupt; what happens if they think the other side has removed their tribune and they have no electoral path to express their grievances? His being taken out in the primary is the safest way to move past the Trump era in politics.
Biden has been a foreign policy disaster. Leaving aside the current whiff of scandal with Hunter’s business deals, or the President’s age, he has overseen a disastrous foreign policy. The pullout from Afghanistan was a betrayal of those who served there, their allies who served alongside them, and the Afghan people. 158 Canadian soldiers never made it home; more carry physical and mental scars. Countless Afghans who sided with us were left behind to the tender mercies of the Taliban. Afghan women have been relegated to second-class status. It did not have to be like this. A small US presence in Afghanistan kept the Taliban in check, with the Afghan National Army doing most of the heavy lifting. It did not have to happen. Biden did it.
Afghanistan also was an embarrassment that emboldened the West’s enemies and competitors. This brings me to the second foreign policy disaster, Ukraine. Biden’s pullout and lack of firm statements on Ukraine’s sovereignty gave what Russia thought a green light to invade Ukraine. He has slow rolled military aid to support Ukraine. Approving tanks, long-range rockets, and F-16s took over a year, and these don’t just magically appear when approved. Training and supply take time. Biden gave the Russians time to build effective defensive positions, hindering the current offensive. We should have been pushing these systems to Ukraine at the start of the fighting, if not before. Biden’s approach may have caused the current round of fighting and has undoubtedly increased the length of the war and the cost in lives.
Biden’s Iran policy and desire to get a nuclear agreement on paper, regardless of the cost and effectiveness, has alienated allies and strengthened the Iranian’s position. We are entering a more dangerous world, and Biden has yet to show himself as a steady helmsman of the ship of state.
I will observe the political races, and I hope that something changes, giving Americans a better choice than Trump or Biden. The world needs someone else.
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