United States - 77.76
33
It will get worse, a lot worse, before it gets better.
The past year in America was defined by the twilight and aftermath of the presidency of Donald Trump. Perhaps the most important single event to happen during the year was an incursion into the Capitol Building by a group of disgruntled Trump supporters. This came during the midst of a slew of attempts to overturn the results of the free and fair 2020 presidential election. While the incursion resulted in nothing, what was undoubtedly an attempt to overturn American democracy was not adequately condemned by a sitting US president. All attempts made by Trump and his supporters would ultimately be in vain, as his unimpressive replacement, Joe Biden, was sworn in on January 20th without incident. Biden’s administration thus far has been defined by a consistent string of blunders and well-intentioned attempts at reform being held up by a deeply divided and hostile legislature. The US has been embroiled in a series of massive protests, both directly spurred on and indirectly inspired by the May 2020 murder of George Floyd. Protests after the initial round of demonstrations that lasted for much of the summer were usually spurred on by other killings by police, usually of young Black men. These killings, which varied in moral justifiability and legality, were seldom adequately investigated by the police’s internal enforcement mechanism, resulting in widespread calls for change. The United States is still yet to answer for the systemic torture of terrorism-related detainees in CIA blacksites across the world, both carried out directly by CIA agents or by foreign agents supported by the CIA. Allegations persist that several blacksites are open and that torture continues at these blacksites and at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, where some 39 foreign nationals remain arbitrarily detained. American democracy has eroded in recent years, both as a result of and independent from the Trump administration. Lobbying and gerrymandering remain serious issues. Despite being a culture built on a commitment to freedom, whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden and Julian Assange are punished while remnants of the Patriot Act still grant the government broad provisions to surveil its people. All this combined with a continually worsening political climate spells an uncertain near future for America. Both major parties are in the midst of an identity crisis. The Democratic party is struggling to rally support behind an unremarkable and ineffective Biden, while the Republicans are struggling to balance pro-Trump “MAGA” factions with anti-Trump “RINO” factions. Worsening this situation is the looming threat of former President Trump running another presidential campaign in 2024. This is not regarding America’s position as the world’s dominant military and diplomatic superpower. The country provides large amounts of foreign aid but its actions have also ruined entire nations. America’s situation is both complicated and precarious, but the nation is not lost. The American spirit and resilience remain, and American democracy was strong enough to rebuff attempts by Trump and his supporters to subvert it. While a fragile economy and divided people make America’s immediate future uncertain, in the long term, the nation will carry on.
Human Rights - 75
The United States retains the death penalty and carried out the last execution in December 2021. Several states have individually abolished the death penalty, but other states retain it and the death penalty remains legal on a federal level. Several extrajudicial killings by police occurred during the year, bringing about large amounts of civil unrest. The murder of George Floyd and the killing of Breonna Taylor both sparked mass civil unrest across the country and smaller (but still significant) protests have been sparked by the killings of several other people during their arrests. Such killings, whether justified or not, were seldom adequately investigated by the police’s internal investigation mechanisms. Shootings of suspects, both armed and unarmed, by police disproportionately targeted young Black people, especially men. Attempts at reforming police conduct at a federal level were largely unsuccessful. Several peaceful protests have been violently suppressed in recent years. Under the Trump administration, a peaceful protest in Lafayette Square was broken up so that the president could walk from the White House to Saint John’s Episcopal Church for a photo shoot after the church suffered fire damage in riots the night before. Tear gas and batons were used against peaceful protestors on several other occasions as well. Several journalists were detained by police while covering civil unrest during the summer of 2020. Most were released without charge after several hours and their arrests were chalked up to mistakes. Nobody has been brought to justice for the use of torture in CIA blacksites. Some such blacksites, such as Guantanamo Bay, remain operational while others are suspected of remaining operational. Thirty-nine inmates remain in arbitrary detention in the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. Detainees have been held without charge or trial for over a decade and many were tortured in detention. The Patriot Act was repealed in 2015 but several provisions remain in the form of the USA Freedom Act. The government retains broad provisions for mass surveillance and whistleblower Edward Snowden exposes mass surveillance of US citizens by the NSA. Exposed in Snowden’s leaks is evidence suggesting that the NSA has the power to surveil any electronic device in the country. The USA guarantees a full gamut of LGBT rights. Abortion is legal without a federal gestational limit. States impose their own gestational limits which vary from six weeks to fetal viability.
Democracy - 83
The president is elected through an electoral college system. The electoral collegiates are directly elected within their constituencies and these collegiates then elect the president. Collegiates cannot stray from the popular vote in their constituencies (or the state if they are in a winner-take-all state, which all but two states are), as doing so is punishable under various state laws. The electoral college system allows a candidate to lose the nationwide popular vote but still win the election. The two most recently elected Republican presidents (George W. Bush and Donald Trump) lost the popular vote when they were initially elected. The electoral college system has resulted in elections largely ignoring “stronghold” states, which are states generally regarded as being likely to favor one party over another (California is generally regarded as a Democratic stronghold, while Texas is generally regarded as a Republican stronghold, for example). “Swing” states (such as Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Wisconsin) receive a disproportionate amount of attention during the election cycle due to the fact that both candidates have a realistic chance of taking the state. Both houses of Congress are directly elected. The upper house, the 100-seat Senate entails two senators per state and favors small states. The lower house, the 435-seat House of Representatives features representatives indirectly proportional to the population of each state with a minimum of one. The House of Representatives holds more legislative power but the will of the Senate is still necessary to pass any legislation. American elections are free and fair. Allegations of Russian collusion or the insecurity of mail-in ballots are largely unsubstantiated. America is under an effective two-party system, with the Democratic and Republican parties dominant. Two independent Senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King Jr. of Maine vote with the Democratic bloc and are, for all intents and purposes, Democrats. Third-party candidates compete but rarely gain traction, most prominently the Libertarian and Green parties. Rapper Kanye West infamously competed half-heartedly under the Birthday Party to little success. Gerrymandering, a controversial policy allowing state legislatures to redraw House of Representatives and state legislature districts based on census results, has proven controversial as critics accuse it of preventing the legitimate will of the majority of the population from being represented within Congress. The process of gerrymandering consolidates power in contested states with the majority party in the state legislature. House district borders are based exclusively on consolidating votes, rather than on county lines or geographic features. Several laws exist in certain states making voting under certain circumstances difficult. Laws in Georgia requiring photo I.D. to vote or banning nonpartisan polling places from distributing food or water have recently proven controversial. Lame duck state legislatures in swing states have repeatedly attempted to sabotage their own power to weaken the influence of an incoming legislature controlled by the rival party, as seen in Wisconsin and Michigan. Loose campaign finance laws favor large parties and change political interests. Petroleum, weapons, pharmaceutical, tobacco, agricultural, and other lobbies have affected political interests about certain issues. Loose restrictions on campaign donations allow Super PACs to affect the political debate about key issues. Controversy recently arose about Supreme Court appointments by lame-duck presidents. A Republican-controlled Senate blocked outgoing President Obama from appointing a liberal replacement after the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. Several years later, a Republican-controlled Senate allowed the appointment of a conservative replacement after the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, despite then-President Trump being up for re-election in only a few months. The legitimacy of every president since Bill Clinton (elected in 1992) has been doubted by the rival party. After an incredibly close election in 2000, the legitimacy of Republican President Bush was doubted after his brother, Florida governor Jeb Bush, was accused of tampering with election results. The validity of Democratic President Obama’s birth certificate was doubted in a racist attack on his identity as both a Black man and a Hawaiian. Republican President Trump was accused of colluding with a Russian propaganda campaign. This position is still widely held among Democrats despite the fact that the Mueller report found that a Russian propaganda campaign did not change the results of the election. Both former President Trump himself and his supporters (see Jan. 6 Capitol Insurrection) have attempted on a number of occasions, both legal and otherwise, to overturn the results of the free and fair election that saw Democrat challenger Joe Biden winning handily over Republican incumbent Donald Trump. It is unclear when this pattern of doubting the results of free and fair elections by losing parties will end.
Freedom - 88
Despite being a culture based around the preservation of freedoms, a number of concerns remain. Perhaps the biggest threat to freedom in America are the remnants of the Patriot Act still in effect in the form of the USA Freedom Act. Of significant concern was the fact that the USA Freedom Act extended provisions for roving wiretaps. The government still has broad provisions for mass surveillance, the full extent of which was exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The National Security Agency (NSA) is believed to have the ability to surveil aany electronic device in the country. Whistleblowers, such as Snowden and owner of the leaks aggregation site Julian Assange have been persecuted by the United States. Snowden faces charges under the Espionage Act that have forced him to stay in Russia. Assange also faces charges under the Espionage Act and is planned to be extradited to the United States by the United Kingdom. Several peaceful protests have been violently suppressed. Under the Trump administration a peaceful protest at Lafayette Square was cleared out to allow the then-President to walk from the White House to the Saint John’s Episcopal Church for a photo shoot. Tear gas, batons, and pepper balls were used against several peaceful protests during the 2020-21 Black Lives Matter protests. Several journalists were detained by police while covering Black Lives Matter protests. Most were released after several hours and their arrests were chalked up to a mistake. All drugs are illegal under US federal law and the United States has some of the strictest penalties in the Western world for drug possession. Several states have decriminalized various drugs, usually marijuana, but Oregon, Washington, D.C., and several major cities (namely Denver and Detroit) have decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms. Semi-automatic rifles and handguns are legal nationwide and permitless in most states. Fully-automatic weapons manufactured before the 1986 Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA) are grandfathered in but new automatic weapons are illegal to purchase for civilians. The right to own guns in self-defense is constitutionally protected.
Economy - 83
Health - 80
Life expectancy in the United States is 79 years and the infant mortality rate is 0.56%. 36.2% of Americans are obese, 6.2% more than the second most obese “Western” country - New Zealand. 3.5% of Americans are malnourished. America’s healthcare situation is unique among developed nations, boasting one of the strongest hospital networks in the country while nearly ten percent of Americans lack access to healthcare. The government provides free limited health insurance that doesn’t cover a number of key medications, including lifesaving ones like insulin. Most Americans pay for private health insurance. 99% of Americans have access to clean, running water.
Corruption - 85
Bribes are sometimes paid during the customs process. Corruption scandals in regard to defense contracts are common, and the government is often criticized for its handling of the military budget. The military has been criticized for overpaying contracts with friendly companies while soldiers are underpaid, veterans lack adequate care, and the taxpayers funnel money into a largely dormant military. The United States has little problem with corruption on a petty level, and most if not all day-to-day activities are carried out without fear of graft or kickbacks.
Competency - 86
The government failed to respond to civil unrest in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Peaceful protests were violently dispersed on several occasions while several cities were rocked by riots that lasted months. Major neighborhoods of Minneapolis and later Kenosha were razed by rioters while cities like Portland and Berkeley have been rocked by riots in recent years. An organized occupation by radical left-wing anarchists took control of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood on June 8th, 2020, and was not cleared out by the city of Seattle until July 1st of the same year. The government has failed to manage a healthcare system that provides for the people. These failures have become especially apparent in the wake of the opioid epidemic, which primarily affected poor citizens without adequate access to healthcare. The government also failed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the Trump administration, the federal government was reluctant to put the country into lockdown, resulting in many areas of the country not locking down and seeing skyrocketing COVID rates. As a result, the United States had the highest rate of COVID-19 in the world, more than double India despite having a population less than a quarter the size. After the inauguration of President Biden in early 2020, the damage had already been done and a strong anti-vaccination movement had taken hold, hampering efforts by the Biden administration to vaccinate the country. The government is failing to respond to the migrant crisis that is rocking both its Southern border and immigration facilities in Florida as migrants flood in from Central America and the Caribbean. Migrants, especially those arriving in a recent surge from Haiti, were held in temporary facilities often with poor conditions. America severely mishandled the country’s military withdrawal from Afghanistan, as the Taliban was allowed a bloodless and near effortless takeover of the country including major cities.
Future - 46
America’s political future is uncertain. Biden, a promised respite from the chaos of Trump, has led an unproductive and unremarkable presidency mired by political deadlock and levels of partisanship only seen under his predecessor. The 2024 election offers no clear way out, with the looming threat of a third Trump campaign on the Republican ticket. In addition, the United States has entered a new era of partisan politics, with the Trump administration setting the precedent that challenging the legitimacy of American democracy itself is acceptable. Previous challenges to the legitimacy of a president (Hanging Chads, Obama’s Birth Certificate, or Russian Collusion) all operated within the confines of the law while the Trump administration attempted to invalidate the results of a free and fair election. In addition, the American economy has been struggling in the wake of the COVID pandemic, seeing record inflation and rising gas prices.
Actions Abroad - 55
The United States is regarded as the world’s dominant military and diplomatic superpower. The country is a permanent member of the UN security council and is the leading military and economic power within NATO. The Trump administration withdrew the United States from several human rights and climate accords, but the Biden administration placed the country back in most. American military campaigns have resulted in severe loss of life and destabilization of governments that resulted in even more overseas. America was responsible for toppling a Baathist regime in Iraq and a Taliban regime in Afghanistan, as well as aiding in toppling Gaddafi’s regime in Libya. All of these regimes flagrantly violated human rights but while in the country, Americans violated the human rights of civilians and after their removal, the United States supported governments that continued to violate human rights in all three countries. America continues to carry out drone strikes, regularly resulting in civilian casualties, in several foreign countries. American trade embargos on Cuba and Venezuela have resulted in the countries struggling to access key imports, such as food, medicine, and fuel, while not removing from power the regimes in these countries that violate human rights. On the flip side, the United States is the single largest provider of foreign aid worldwide and bankrolls a number of projects that raise the standard of living of people across the world. America’s foreign aid contributions cannot be overstated. The United States received a five-point penalty for possessing legal nuclear weapons.
1% of Americans live below the international poverty line and 11.4% live below the national poverty line. 4.2% of Americans were unemployed at the end of 2021 but the unemployment rate in the country has been declining following the end of COVID lockdowns. The United States has some of the highest economic disparity in the developed world, with a Gini Coefficient score of 41.5 comparable more to Haiti (41.1) and Kenya (40.8) than France (32.4) or Germany (31.7). Minimum wage varies by state, with a federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. The highest minimum wage is $16.10 per hour in Washington, D.C. The United States is in a bizarre position among developed countries of boasting one of the strongest hospital networks in the world but failing to guarantee healthcare to all Americans. Healthcare of high quality is available within reasonable driving distance of most population centers in the country. In 2020, some 9.7% of Americans completely lacked access to health insurance. The government provides free limited health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, but “Obamacare” is limited and doesn’t cover many key medications, including insulin. Most Americans pay for expensive and unregulated private health insurance. Healthcare in America is the most costly in the world for the end user. America’s GDP shrunk 3.5% in 2020 and grew 2.2% in 2019.