Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Vilnius
Image: dpa
Richard Haass, one of America's leading foreign policy minds, talks about the US election and the aftermath. He tells Europeans what they have to do for their own security.
Mr. Haass, you recently painted a very bleak picture of your country: Americans were increasingly living separate lives due to a dwindling common identity. This is dangerous for a nation that is based on an idea and not on national homogeneity. They do not rule out political violence or signs of disintegration. Weren't you even an optimist?
I'm pointing out these things because I'm concerned. I point out these things because they are possible scenarios. I don't want Americans to think that bad things can't happen in our country. They can happen. They have already happened: We had January 6, 2021, the storming of the Capitol. That doesn't mean they inevitably happen. But I am seriously concerned about the state of the world and my country.