According to the United Nations 2024 is “the biggest election year in human history” with half of the world’s population – some 3.7 billion people in 72 countries – able to vote. Yet some elections are more consequential than others which is why the world is watching as the US goes to the polls.
The US is the world’s largest economy, and the biggest military power. But it also the lynchpin of many international strategic alliances, the economic and financial system and many of the world’s liberal institutions.
These elections are a pivotal moment in US history which could have massive implications for how the country is governed and for the future of the post-war order that Washington has helped build.
Unlike any election since 1945 the basic tenets of US relations with the rest of the world are in contention. The choice is between Donald Trump’s Republican party potentially offering a complete break from the US’s role in the international …