America celebrates a milestone birthday today. 250 years old. Yet somehow the celebrations seem muted.

I remember the USA bicentennial events, 50 years ago. The whole country was united, and the celebrations ran throughout the year. 2026 doesn’t feel like 1976.

Maybe it is the internal divisions. Americans (looking at the country from up north) don’t seem to agree on how they should celebrate, or even what they are celebrating. While everyone is invited to the party, it is tough to celebrate when half the people in the room aren’t speaking to the other half.

Or maybe it is the sense that America’s role in the world has changed. Other countries look at the USA differently than they used to.

In 1976 everybody wanted to be America. Yes, the country had some blemishes, but it was a beacon of freedom and democracy. A country to be admired, looked up to and emulated. The unquestioned leader of the West, the moral compass of nations.

In 2026 that leadership, under the policies of the current administration, seems to have been abdicated. Other countries are looking elsewhere for inspiration as the USA emulates Russia and North Korea. It wasn’t a change most observers predicted.

What the world wonders, and what Americans should ask themselves on this 250th birthday, is whether this change is permanent. The USA seems determined to make itself irrelevant on the world stage, as governments around the globe decide they would prefer more reliable trade and defence partners.

Being an economic powerhouse might not be al that fun if no-one wants to trade with you. And, as Caesar found out, it is easy to invade countries, but holding on to them is another matter.

The question for today is: Does America want to be great again?

It takes a long time to build a lasting friendship, for individuals and for nations. It takes a lot less time to irreparably same that relationship.

Does the United States have many friends left in the world? Does it even want friends?

As the USA turns 250, Americans might want to take the time to think 50 years into the future. Do they like what their nation is becoming? Given their internal divisions and external behavior, will there still be a United States to celebrate in 2076?

It really is up to the American people. I wonder which direction they will choose