For Brits of a certain age, Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America great again”, rings a bell. In the 1987 British elections, Margaret Thatcher’s campaign slogan was “Britain is great again. Don’t let Labour wreck it.”
Of course, I’m not accusing Trump of plagiarism. America’s next president is a winner, a magnanimous figure who has even won the praise of Vladimir Putin. However, his echo of Thatcher is not coincidental. Like Britain before it, the US is now losing its empire.
This is a painful problem that’s hard to talk about. Often it’s accompanied by feelings of shame. The fading empire’s leaders always pretend that the loss isn’t happening. Proud imperialists, such as today’s Republican candidates, insist the loss could be easily reversed if only certain leaders weren’t pygmies and traitors. The anger just worsens the pain.