WITH the United States set to have its presidential elections later this year, it is well worth giving a thought about the possible consequences of the exercise. A moment of reflection is enough to tell you that nothing will change. Such is the beauty of electoral politics in that country.

Remember Al Gore? He served as the US vice-president for eight years, from 1993 to 2001. He was a popular choice in the 2000 presidential race which he lost by the barest of margins; so bare that the US Supreme Court had to settle the matter. One wonders how different the US reaction would have been had the court favoured Gore that year. Had the US attacked Iraq or invaded Afghanistan under him?

Gore was an advocate of healthcare and technological advancement. He was actively involved in the internet boom. More critically, Gore is known as a champion of climate activism, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for “informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change”. For argument’s sake, could the US carbon footprint be any different under Gore’s leadership? No.

American history over the last two decades would have been what it is. Gore would have taken the decisions that were taken by George Bush, the man who had beaten him to the Oval Office.

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbour, was prescient in his assessment when he said: “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

The US is led by this ‘terrible resolve’, not by individuals. That the consequences are even more terrible for the larger world, especially the Global South, means nothing to the global bully that the US is.

Affan Khattak
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2024