Once admired for its democratic institutions, cultural dynamism, and global leadership, the United States now finds itself in a different spotlight.

A repost from 5 May 2025

The collapse of the political centre — a space once occupied by moderates capable of compromise — has left America lurching between ideological extremes. And the world is watching, not with awe, but with alarm.

Political polarisation in the US has turned governance into trench warfare. Robert Reich, a former secretary for labour, has described today’s politics as a regime warping the Constitution, undermining the rule of law and threatening civil society.

Reich laments that within the Republican Party dissent has largely vanished, with ideological loyalty to President Donald Trump and Trumpism now outweighing institutional checks.

On the other side, Democrats appear fractured between centrists and progressives, unified more by their opposition to Trump than by any common policy compass. The middle, once a source of stability and shared values, has been hollowed out.

But the story doesn’t end at America’s borders. The consequences of this internal disarray ripple outward, reshaping how other countries engage with — or detach from — the US.

Start with cultural influence. For decades since World War II, American values of freedom and individual rights were admired and often emulated. But in recent years, those values have become entangled in fierce domestic culture wars. Foe example, debates over gender identity,........

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