WHAT IS AT STAKE IN THE USA

In the EU many member states have entered a period of major potential turmoil. Besides the usual suspects--Hungary and Slovakia--other major normal players start to show political metal fatigue. The eastern part of Germany suffers from a far- right fever and France's Macron is losing his touch, after the calamitous elections which sent France back to the days of the Fourth Republic.

These and other more structural problems are happening when the US is in full electoral mode. The outcome of the American presidential election will cast a shadow or light over the world. Seldom has the choice been so existential. Trump is a paranoid liar who will stop at nothing to appease his sick ego. Impervious to culture or truth he has no sympathy for Europe or for democratic precedent. One can only expect some other pas de deux with the likes of Putin and Kim Jong Un. Kamala Harris is the right candidate for the right moment in history. She is not perfect, who is. She comes with reliability and the proper mindset to continue the "American experiment" and rejuvenate the Atlantic spirit.

One should be conscious of the challenges that confront the world by way of America. Democracy is on the ballot. If the Americans were to make the wrong choice, the demise of the values and the ambition elsewhere would be immediate. President Biden became an aging leader for sure but he stood firm on an agenda of progressive liberty and sound for all, in America and abroad.

There are too many situations--climate, finance, energy, human rights for all, peace and reconciliation, attention needed for the forgotten wars, violence, rules, free commerce--wherein nothing is a substitute for the American input. Does anyone think that Trump knows what happens in Sudan, Myanmar or Yemen? ...that he understands the workings of the IMF, World Bank or the EU? He doesn't respect the laws that support the Supreme Court or protect the transparency of the US elections. The January 6 storming of the Capitol four years ago is already a scenario foretold for tomorrow. The MAGA storm troupes are readied.

Normal America is under attack by a duo of freaks (Trump's choice for vice-president fits into a chapter of Germany in the late '30s). It is clear that whatever the result of the elections, there will be trouble and it is going to be ugly. Kamala Harris will be ready but contrary to her adversary she is human, which makes her more vulnerable for sure, but also so much more attractive. At the end of the day and of argument, there is nothing wrong with the choice of the attractive over the ugly.