On the American campaign trail, the candidates talk about a world utterly unrelated to the one that is actually being created on the ground. The Republicans promise to wage war against Islamic extremists and modernize the Middle East. The Democrats deplore the ills of globalization and free trade, and urge tougher measures against China. Meanwhile Middle Eastern fund managers and Asian consumers are quietly keeping the U.S. economy afloat.
There is no telling, thus, if the president the Americans end up electing will have any understanding of the real world. If [s]he does, it’s luck, and not something that [s]he is being evaluated for during this process.