US election chaos would endanger the whole world

THE world is feeling the angst of liminality, as America’s friends and foes await the outcome of the presidential election next week. Will the superpower have Donald Trump or Kamala Harris as commander-in-chief? Until that question is answered, nothing much can move, nothing of note can be resolved.

But what if no answer is forthcoming, at least not for a while?

Picture decision-makers around the world holding their collective breath right now. In the Middle East, which teeters on the edge of major regional war, envoys from Israel, Egypt, the United States and Qatar are once again meeting in Doha about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. But nobody will commit to anything until American voters decide who will sit at the Resolute Desk come January.