The Tribune

DESPITE many naysayers and critics who deride everything American, it is widely accepted that the United States of America is generally a force for good as the undisputed leader of the free world.

Its influence around the globe is pervasive and far-reaching so the result of next week’s presidential election matters greatly to other countries – rich, poor, large and small alike. This includes us here in the Bahamas with our close links to and dependence on our giant neighbour.

The cases made by the two presidential nominees have played out ad nauseam over a long period of campaigning with an emphasis on domestic issues like healthcare, education, gun laws, immigration and financial matters.

This is understandable given that the majority of voters are primarily concerned about the local conditions of their way of life, and these vary hugely within such a vast and dispersed country which is really a continent.

As former President Bill Clinton famously said: “it’s the economy stupid”; but in an increasingly ugly and unpleasant battle between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, personal issues involving accusations of wrongdoing, dishonesty and corruption, as well as the candidates’ temperamental suitability for the top job, have taken centre stage.

Apart from all this, however, polls show that voters are also deeply concerned about law and order and national security.

Faced with the new threat of cyber attacks potentially even more damaging than existing terrorism, the protection and safety of the US homeland depends, all the more importantly, on events beyond its borders in a divided and hostile world which is, arguably, less stable than at any time since the end of the Cold War following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Until then, nuclear parity provided the deterrent to keep the peace between the two superpowers, though they pursued proxy wars in third world countries - for example, the Angolan civil war in the 1970s in which Cuban troops were also deployed.

Now an incoming US President will be faced not only with the massive problems of ISIS, Syria and Iraq amidst the current chaos in the Middle East but also issues like the nuclear threat from North Korea and Iran (notwithstanding the recent agreement to limit their nuclear arms development), China’s expansionary activity in the South China Sea, the serious effects of a potential collapse of the European Union following ‘Brexit’, and chaos in Europe over uncontrolled immigration now erupting into violence on the streets of Paris.

Furthermore, Russia has become significantly more aggressive and interventionist under the rule of President Vladimir Putin. Annexation of Crimea in 2014 was followed by seizure of a slice of Ukraine in support of Russian separatists and then there has been its heavy involvement in the civil war in Syria including carpet-bombing of Aleppo. Most recently, the deployment of Russian forces and heavy armaments up to the borders with the Baltic states has led to a flare-up of tension with the West.

To many, the announcement that British troops will be sent to Estonia early next year as part of a NATO force to deter possible aggression is a worrying development which could lead to serious armed conflict.

In the absence of decisive American leadership, which has been lacking in recent years, the Western alliance remains divided and directionless in the face of growing global tensions. Most observers agree that both presidential candidates are deeply flawed in various ways.

However, of the two, Mrs Clinton, as an experienced former US Senator and Secretary of State, ought to be better placed to provide that required leadership, even though she was part of an Obama administration which failed to do so.

She accuses Mr Trump of being unfit to have a finger on the so-called nuclear button.

But, though lacking steadiness and cool judgment and being widely tarnished, he is more likely to bring strength to a rudderless West in the face of the Russian bear.

However, that said, we continue to believe that Mr Trump is a deeply unsuitable person to be the Republican nominee.

The importance of the US on the global stage cannot be overstated. A new President will be able to deploy enormous power, resources and influence.

How that is done in the coming months and years will be crucial to the fortunes of many around the world, and it will have a major affect on America’s own national security.

Amidst the last throes of a nasty, acrimonious and lengthy election process, a sense of resigned anticipation seems to be the prevailing mood - at least amongst those not directly involved in the battle royal promised on November 8.

The stakes could not be higher.