I have been meeting with customers, former teammates, and staff regarding the United States of America. With an office and customer base in the USA, I hear pain, see fear, and observe a lack of clarity about how this great nation can rise above its internal issues to embrace necessary changes and maintain a moral compass. I was born in the US, served in the US Military for 30 years, and chose to leave the US upon exiting the military.
In 2004, I observed a transformation taking place in America—the increasing rift among Americans, the spread of political misinformation, changes in the military's ethical direction, and the neglect of civilian and political personal priorities for politician benefits rather than that of its people. I made the decision to take a new path, shaping my life based on my individual decisions rather than external national or abstract influences and utilizing my personal ethical values in my investments, business endeavors, and the communities we back.
The US is facing unprecedented political turmoil in 2024. If years could be villains, 2024 would seem almost too dreadful to mention. What we’ve witnessed over the last month is disheartening: the United States is grappling with itself. While America's military and economy remain exceptionally strong, its political system is more dysfunctional than any advanced industrial democracy.
This dysfunction has gotten worse. The US presidential election will exacerbate the country’s political divisions, testing American democracy to a degree not seen in 150 years and undermining US credibility on the global stage.
The US political system is deeply divided, and its legitimacy and functionality have eroded. Public trust in core institutions—such as Congress, the judiciary, and the media—is at historic lows; polarization and partisanship are at historic highs. With algorithmically amplified disinformation further complicating matters, Americans no longer share a common set of settled facts about the nation and the world.
This year, one-third of the global population will cast votes. Still, the unprecedented dysfunction of the US election will have the greatest consequential impact on global security, stability, and economic outlook.
The outcome will impact the fate of 8 billion people, but only 160 million Americans will have a say, and the winner will be determined by tens of thousands of voters in a few swing states.
The losing side—whether Democrat or Republican—will likely view the result as illegitimate and may struggle to accept it.
The world's most powerful country faces critical challenges to its core political institutions: free and fair elections, the peaceful transfer of power, and the checks and balances provided by the separation of powers. The political state of the union is indeed troubled.
The US and the human race have entered a year fraught with serious challenges. I am hopeful that adversity will bring out the best in us. This journey won't be easy, particularly for our fellow citizens in the US.
It's deeply painful to witness our country endure such upheaval, impacting those we love. While it doesn't compare to crises in Ukraine, Gaza, or South Sudan, for a nation long confident that “it can’t happen here,” 2024 serves as a sobering wake-up call.
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