HOW WE CAN DO BETTER.

• Date: 01 December 2020
• Author: Higgins, Maeve

It has long been known that American exceptionalism is little more than a marketing ploy, yet the world cannot look away from this troubled, young country. This year's presidential election had millions around the globe glued to the results. As day after agonizing day crept by, the fascination only grew.

From Senegal to Finland to New Zealand, the world did not hold its breath, but it certainly inhaled sharply a number of times throughout the tense week between the election and the result.

The day Joe Biden was announced as the winner, a friend in Iran messaged me saying the U.S. presidential election results may have more effect on his country than ours. The United States, through a combination of military might, neoliberal capitalism, and cultural exports, still dominates much of the world.

Am I falling into the hero complex so often exploited by Americans when I insist our responsibility to do better is not just for ourselves, but for the world? Our slide toward total...