Michael McGuire: As the world teeters, US unrest and weakness comes at worst possible time

From abortion rights to gun control and nationalism, the US is tearing itself apart – and it’s at the worst possible moment, writes Michael McGuire.

This is a bad time for the US to fall to pieces. With the sickening Russian invasion of Ukraine a daily feature of the news, with China under Xi Jinping asserting itself more strongly, the rapid weakening of America has come at a bad time for western democracies.

The US has been far from perfect over the years – the disastrous invasion of Iraq springs to mind – but it’s always been there as a bulwark against the more authoritarian view of the world. After the downfall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s it was regarded as the last remaining global superpower.

Maybe the Cold War victory went to its head.

Now the US looks like the one that is falling apart.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be in Madrid for a NATO summit starting Tuesday, which will primarily be focused on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Before he left, Albanese said: “The Russian invasion of Ukraine has upset the norms that we regarded, that the rule of law would be maintained, that sovereign nations’ borders would be respected, and that we wouldn’t see the sort of brutal invasion that we’ve seen from Russia in Ukraine.’’

Seemingly, to reinforce the Prime Minister’s point, Russia spent the weekend bombing Kyiv, effectively giving the finger to NATO and the US. Would Russia have been so bold as to invade Ukraine if it had been confronted by a stronger US?

Possibly. But very possibly not as well.

What will China make of US weakness as it ponders reclaiming Taiwan?

Ukrainian rescuers carry wounded Russian citizen Ekaterina Volkova from a residential building destroyed by Russian missiles in Kyiv. Picture: Sergei Supinsky / AFP)

Under the presidency of Donald Trump, Russia had the US under control. Whether or not you believe in all the conspiracy theories surrounding Trump and his Russian contacts, it’s indisputable that President Vladimir Putin had a firm collar around the ex-president’s neck and took great delight in leading him around.

And Putin doesn’t have too much respect for his successor President Joe Biden either.

All the while, the US continues to tear itself apart from the inside.

The overturning of the Roe v Wade decision by its Supreme Court last week delivered a quite startling reduction in women’s rights and autonomy and will only deepen the fissures that run through American society, possibly for decades to come.

In writing a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas also cast doubts on the ongoing legality of birth control, marriage equality and LGBTQ rights. Again, these could be fights on issues that were previously thought settled that could now define US politics for years to come. But that’s the problem when judges are more interested in ideology, religion and politics than the actual law.

All the while, the January 6 committee examining the Capitol Hill riots by supporters of Trump, showed the former president was actively trying to steal the 2020 election.

So, a quick recap. The US, that self-styled bastion for freedom, liberty and democracy, is actively suppressing women’s rights and had a president who is refusing to recognise an election result. And that’s before we get to the horrific gun violence that stains the country.

It’s an odd country that allows an 18-year-old to buy a semiautomatic weapon that can kill dozens but won’t allow an abortion.

Abortion rights activists march past the Washington Monument as they protest in Washington after the US Supreme Court’s decision to scrap abortion rights. Picture: Samuel Corum / AFP

The number of heavily armed people in the US is more than worrying. If it was any other country apart from the US, Australia would be sending strongly worded messages of protest and threatening sanctions. Instead, we are signing security pacts and begging to buy nuclear submarines off them.

Australia has picked an unfortunate time to further cosy up to the US. The other player in the AUKUS agreement, Britain, is not faring too much better. Led by a confirmed liar in Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the UK is also a weakened entity in world affairs after signing their resignation letter as a serious nation – Brexit. Britain is predicted to have the lowest economic growth of all the nations in the G20 group in 2023 apart from Russia.

Both the US and the UK have been struck down by nationalism and its attendant, unavoidable insularity.

The prospects for both appear bleak at least in the short term.

President Biden’s reign has been undermined by a declining economy and rampant inflation and misjudgements such as the sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden wants to run again. On election day in 2024, when he will be asking for another four years, he will be weeks away from being 82. If he wins in 2024 he will be president until he’s 86. That doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Trump may also run again. He will be 78 in 2024 but his problems run much deeper than his age. It’s hard to see how a bloke who is currently actively undermining democracy can be allowed to run again for president. If he is nominated by the Republicans, it will show that party has given up on old-fashioned notions such as decency and morality.

Both Biden and Trump would be a varying degree of disaster for the US if either were successful in 2024. The US needs new leadership and the world needs the US to have new leadership.