Opinion | World seeks a very different sort of US leadership from what’s on offer

The Gaza conflict has severely eroded the moral standing of the US. If Donald Trump were to return to power, he could exacerbate this with his “Make America Great Again” priorities, compounding the great power rivalry with China. But what the world needs is an America that not only upholds its founding principles but is willing to get along with others to shape a more equitable global order.

In Taiwan, the potential victory of presidential hopeful William Lai Ching-te, seen as pro-independence, is expected to exacerbate tensions in the Taiwan Strait. In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s more assertive stance is heightening the risk of a military clash in the South China Sea.

The United States has vowed unwavering support for both Taiwan and the Philippines, amid their challenges with Beijing. The escalating tensions in the region echo US President Joe Biden’s broader warning about the mounting threat that rising authoritarianism poses for democracies across the globe.

Three decades ago, the landscape for democracies looked markedly different. The end of the Cold War ushered in a unique unipolar moment, with the US reigning supreme and unchallenged. A sense of triumphalism prevailed, encapsulated by the proclamation of liberal democracy as the “end of history”, implying an inexorable march towards democratic progress.

But the September 11 attack abruptly shattered that fleeting peace. Americans retaliated by invading Iraq and Afghanistan. The US “war on terror” heightened tensions across the Muslim world. Optimism over the “end of history” swiftly gave way to a bleaker narrative: the clash of civilisations.