Welcome to a new American landscape. It is retreating from its long-held position of leadership on the global stage and recalibrating its connections with historical allies and trade companions. The big change began with the inauguration of Donald Trump. The calamity opened a historical chasm, reordering the clearly outlined continental status quo established by the United States over the last 249 years. As America redefines its position, it increasingly appears to be backsliding into authoritarianism, raising concerns about its future and the implications for global stability.
The shifts in U.S. foreign policy since then have been jarring. In the last year the nation has stepped back from its commitments to the global community. Beyond that, it has departed from pretty basic standards of decency and sanity. This retreat has sent scholars and other observers, U.S. scholars of fascism in particular, running for cover to Canada. There, they can see first-hand and study the impact of America’s waning influence.
Travel from Canada to the US has declined even more severely, plummeting 45% year over year. Here are a few reasons why that number is shrinking. An increasing American travel ban and escalating violence toward foreigners visiting the United States are the result of an outbreak of good judgment. Canada and the United States have had a very harmonious, peaceful relationship historically. Over the last two centuries, they have militarily and culturally intertwined their security apparatus and economies. Looking at the current trends, it’s clear that this important bond is being severely tested. Through these policies, the U.S. is unequivocally signaling to foreign nationals that they may face abuse and violence, sometimes with impunity.
The United States has further declared war on at least five other fronts, including poverty, drugs, Islamic terrorism, and anti-democratic governments. It has fundamentally violated major trade agreements with Canada and Mexico, settled after a long battle, ascertained in 2018. This action deepens its already significant estrangement with its North American partners. Together, these executive actions describe a portrait of a country retreating into its borders. Furthermore, it is abandoning the values of freedom and openness that made it so beautiful and inspired millions to build it.
Abraham Lincoln foresaw such a decline when he warned, “If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher.” His words are a powerful echo today. Americans across the country continue to face the impacts of America’s own isolation and what this means for democracy at home and around the world.
Change is afoot in the US, that’s bigger than the political realm. They encompass new waters, as with its role in life as a nuclear power. At the same time, America is wrestling with who we are. Other scholars suggest instead that it is quickly becoming a lens through which we can see its own collapse. Overall, this more introspective perspective foreshadows a recognition that the country is coming apart at the seams quicker than anyone expected.
George Washington’s words echo through history as well: “The alternate domination of one faction over another…is itself a frightful despotism.” The political landscape we are living and working in today shows a dramatic spike in partisanship. This intensification creates a powder keg community climate ripe with divisions and discord. Political dissension creates a potent vengeful spirit. Unfortunately, they’ve left millions of Americans jaded and frustrated by the core principles of American democracy that they used to love.
It’s with good reason that in recent months, these shocking changes to American policy have set off alarm bells around the world. Canada is deeply attuned to these shifts. It watches in horror as its closest neighbor is forced to fester into a country that is visibly more unwelcoming of outsiders and much less collaborative. And this fundamental shift is not just creating new bilateral relations but fundamentally changing the nature of global and great power politics.
The United States is in the midst of a dramatic realignment of its position abroad. It’s coming under greater and greater fire from audiences at home and abroad. The departure of these long-time allies marks a dramatic change in the balance of global power. Other countries are beginning to reconsider their allegiances as America retreats from its historic role as an ally.