Asif Mahmood

Everyone is debating the US midterms from one angle only : what will happen to American foreign  policy? Will the war with Iran end? What will the Middle East look like?

Important questions, no doubt. But we are missing another question: Is there anything in this whole process that we, as a nation, can learn?

There are a few things worth looking at.

First, the real strength of America is not just its military might. It’s the system. The system of checks and balances is so automatic, so deeply built-in, that it keeps everything in its place. Even someone like Donald Trump, with all the immense powers of a presidential system, cannot become the sole power center. Before a wrong decision can drag the country down, the system itself steps in and holds the state together.

Second, look at their parties. Parties are powerful, not individuals. Power doesn’t mean the party becomes your personal property. They have Republicans, yes, but they don’t have a party called “Republican-Trump Party.” There is no personal stamp on it. Parties work as institutions.

We know Republicans and Democrats are competing, but do we know who their party presidents are? How many of them inherited the leadership through a will? Will power go to Trump’s children after him? Can his wife claim that our family was born to rule?

When parties are institutions and not family estates, both society and politics keep evolving. New people come in. And for them, doors are open on merit, not on lineage. That’s why politics there doesn’t rot like stagnant water. Today, a young Pakistani can go to America, get citizenship, and make a name in politics on his own merit. Put your hand on your heart and ask – can an ordinary young man get that same opportunity in Pakistani politics?

Third, there is no concept of a caretaker government for elections. The same administration stays, and elections happen. There is no fear that Donald Trump, who tries to dictate to the rest of the world, will also hijack the election process. Even the most powerful man on earth is helpless in front of that process. He may have the power to destroy half the world, but he doesn’t have the power to turn a lost election into a win. It’s not that he doesn’t want to, it’s that the system simply won’t let him.

And the balance of power is remarkable. Yes, it’s a presidential system and the President is very powerful, but halfway through his term come the midterms. It’s a safety valve. If people are unhappy with the President, the other party can win the House and the Senate. The President stays, but his powers are checked.

For example, only Congress can declare war, not the President. If the President starts a war, under the War Powers Resolution he must get Congress’s approval within 60 days. The power of the purse is also with Congress. The President cannot take war funding from the treasury without Congress. He can take it temporarily in an emergency, but after 60 days he has to go back to Congress. And if Congress decides to defund it, like it did in Vietnam, the President has to end the war whether he likes it or not.

This balance of power and limits is what has held America together. Things stay where they should be. Even if something goes wrong, it is corrected quickly. There is no single tower of power. Power is divided.

There is a lot in all of this for us to learn and understand.