“But while I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”

— Kamala Harris

On Saturday November 7th, in the later hours of the day (for us Europeans of course) it became clear that the United States of America had a new leader, Joseph R. Biden Jr. was elected the 46th President. More importantly, a new Vice President. Kamala Harris, the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first woman of Indian heritage to be elected Vice President. The duo is announcing the return of unity of the country, healing the soul of the nation and a much needed comeback of human decency.

I’m quite sure I wasn’t the only non-American holding their breath for the duration of the few days, praying that the last grey areas of the American map would turn BLUE, or being excited that the predicted “red” states were suddenly being flipped. Americans have made a marathon out of their Presidential Election, where in most instances there is an evening, a few hours of breath-holding and then the country has it’s answer. This time, however, that was definitely not the case, as we got the final results on Friday the 13th (oh, the irony). The legendary amount of mail-in ballots, which made it impossible for us to know the results right away, of course impacted this greatly. Even though I personally have a long-standing history with the United States, and we all do in some way, I can say that I was just as stressed and excited about this elections, as when my own country was choosing their president. We have all grown up with the American culture, media and politics around us, so it is natural to a point that we treat it as impacting our lives, but I couldn’t help but notice among my friends that this event held a higher importance than usual, that in a turbulent year such as this one, so many of us have found an awaited solace in the outcome of this historic event.

So what was the element that moved people who didn’t usually talk or post about politics, to join into the media frenzy and devote their few days to this election? The fact that America’s President has an impact on Europe and the whole world for that matter more than any other. Many transatlantic relationships deteriorated significantly when Trump took over the office in 2017, with his abusive use of Twitter as means of communication, as well as his conflicting ideas on the delicate international balance which has been worked out by his predecessors, it seemed as if America’s image of a “good uncle” has come to an end.

To understand the cultural and political impact of this event we have to be reminded of the weight of the American opinion on the functioning of the globe. All of the countries had a collective stake in the election, but the truth is that almost every country in Europe had a separate interest in electing Biden, even though Germany, France and the UK were able to take a deep breath after these long four years, there were some gems (Poland) who’s plans with the incumbent actually got ruined. No wonder that the eyes of the Globe were pointed in that direction, it was where the future of Europe was going to be decided.

While Joe Biden’s win is important and significant, most importantly gets the unstable incumbent out of the office, the attention was highly focused on his running mate, a fifty-six year old California senator Kamala Harris. His win was important for the sanity of the country, but her win was legendary. I realize that not many people from outside the United States can say that they knew exactly the policies and differences that the ticket stands for, but a lot of us knew the most important thing, that it symbolized CHANGE. In a time where we can barely leave our houses and our future seems to be in a stand-still, there finally appeared a chance to move something forward.

While some Europeans still portray America as the land of the milk and honey, with a funny man for a President, we can’t possibly say that we truly understand the issues that they are battling. While we may be fighting similar causes across the globe, there have so many systemic issues that we don’t realize from afar, and we we will have difficulty understanding under a different political system, such as healthcare, racial tensions, crime and policing. More divided than ever, Americans seemed to disagree on virtually every issue, fuelled by the inflammatory language and blameful communication of Trump.

After Hilary Clinton’s loss in 2016, some feared that the country was not ready for a woman in the highest office, but Harris has shown us that the US was ready for more than some thought. What Harris has accomplished was met with a wave of support from all over the world, and not only American women, exactly because it represents a need and yearning for a different outlook in many more countries. Within the direction that the world seems to be taking, a great example would be the decision of the Polish highest court about abortion rights and the following wave of protests, the slightest sign that there is a different way to do things which sparked the inspiration we all needed. We can expect a return to the “normal” position of the United States as a unifier and mediator, rather than an over-tanned man shouting “fake news” left and right.

We may be unnecessarily turning a blind eye to the cliche and “fairy-tale” nature of the speeches and promises made by the Presidents Elects, the “President for all Americans”. But perhaps, the truth is that through this awful time we have gotten rid of cynicism and are in a desperate need of some of that fairy dust. We want to believe in humanity, we want things to become really better. We are hoping that met with so much tragedy and pain, we have learned our lesson in cruelty and decided to take the high-way. Will the promises be kept? We will see. Will this spark a change around different countries? We will see. Will this wave last? We will see. The answers, as everything else in this year are not clear. But what is clear as day, is that something changed in the world, and it is a change for the better. This year has been special. It has been awful and amazing in different ways, teaching us new things about ourselves, about our societies and about us together as a world, as humanity. In the duration of our lives, there has never been a more legendary year. We have survived hurricanes and protests, and are still battling a pandemic, which is going through a second wave as we speak. Is it not natural then, that people would grasp all of the positive events they can? As we should, but perhaps the only way for things to actually get better is to remember, that the fight is far from over.

The Significance Of The US Elections Worldwide– Why Were We All Holding Our Breath And Are Ready To Breathe Again?