Situations in the US

Jin Canrong, vice dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China

Keyword for Year of the Mouse: Chaos
Keyword for Year of the Bull: Deadlock

The US in 2020 was full of chaos. First of all, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt so heavy a blow to its society every sector felt the impact: Tourism dropped, airports were closed, cities see-sawed between lockdown and re-opening.

The presidential election, which came at this critical time, made things worse. The Republican and Democratic parties struggled for this most important position and held events for it as if it was entertainment. These activities, involving conflicts between the two, caused deeper chaos.

Most importantly, the deep split that has long been a feature the US society was inflamed in 2020. It is not an exaggeration to say the US had fallen into a Hobbesian state of everyone against everyone: Rich against poor, liberal against conservative, locals against immigrants, white supremacy against Black Lives Matter.

The situation had become so bad people even argued over whether wearing a mask should become mandatory. There are jokes passed around about someone who wore a mask walking his dog in the street being stopped and asked whether he supported the Democrats. These jokes are bitter for US people who experienced this major split of society.

That's why "chaos" is the defining word for the US in 2020. Sadly, there is little hope of ending that chaos in 2021.

The new US president Joe Biden took office on Jan 20, but former President Donald Trump got 74 million votes in the election and his base shows no hint of giving up. During the coming four years, Trump's supporters will set more roadblocks for the Democratic president.

Biden vowed to be president for all Americans, not just Democrats, but that might not be up to him.

Deadlocks in political affairs might well be a common thing in the US in the coming four years, and there is little hope of ending that.