America is changing: Here's why Scotland should care

For decades, Scotland has looked across the sea to an America that, for all its contradictions, presented itself as a bastion of democratic principles. Indeed, Scotland played a significant role in shaping America, with an estimated one million Scots emigrating to the United States between 1821 and the Second World War.

Today, however, we see an America that is changing. After spending more than twenty years representing my country overseas as a diplomat, I believe that change is more profound than many realise.

I joined the US Foreign Service in 2005. I represented presidents and administrations from both sides of the political divide. In countries ranging from Australia to Pakistan, and from the United Kingdom to Iraq, I honoured my oath to support and defend the US Constitution, not a particular party or politician.

I witnessed the inevitable reversals in policy, direction and priorities that accompany a change of leadership. I did not always agree with those reversals, but I understood my responsibility to support the elected government.

By their very nature, democracies evolve and change direction at the behest of the people. What should not change are the rules and principles under which public institutions implement policy.

During my final year as an American diplomat, I was directed to review the CVs and online presence of individuals selected to receive government-funded scholarships, wearing my ‘DOGE glasses’. DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency, was presented as an effort to reduce waste and improve efficiency.

My task had nothing to do with waste.

I was instructed to search for references to diversity and inclusion and to remove nominees with a history of involvement in such initiatives, regardless of the subject of their proposed research. An academic working on agricultural innovation, for example, could be deemed ineligible simply because their CV revealed that, as an undergraduate, they had served on a university diversity and inclusion council.

Why this matters to Scotland

Scotland benefits greatly from reliable American partnerships involving its universities, research institutions, businesses and cultural organisations. Scotland does not need to pander to, or agree with, an American administration, but it has a profound interest in an America that behaves in a rational, dependable fashion. An America whose commitments can be counted upon. An America capable of evolving, as it always has, while retaining the capacity to correct itself.

The midterm elections on 3 November offer Americans an opportunity to demonstrate to Scotland and the wider world that their democracy retains that capacity.

An NPR/PBS/Marist poll published on 27 October found that 84 per cent of likely voters nationally were either enthusiastic or very enthusiastic about voting in this year’s midterm elections.

Tens of millions of Americans have already voted early. Previously safe seats are now being viewed as competitive.

I have concerns about the direction of my country. At the same time, I find reasons to be optimistic. I see people on both sides of the political divide organising, debating, volunteering and voting. I am encouraged by the vigour of our democracy.

An election, particularly a midterm election in which the presidency is not at stake, is not a silver bullet.

If the Democrats, as some predict, take control of one or both houses of Congress, there will be no immediate transformation of US foreign policy. We will, however, see a renewed emphasis on congressional oversight and a clear message to the political establishment.

If the Republicans retain control of Congress, we may see an emboldened White House, with fewer institutional constraints on its ambitions.

America has been here before. We have endured bitter divisions, political scandals, struggles over fundamental rights and moments when confidence in our institutions seemed dangerously fragile.

During my lifetime, we have confronted the struggle for civil rights, Watergate and the Vietnam War. We have survived these challenges and continued the difficult work of building a more perfect union.

My message to my friends in Scotland is this: do not confuse the rhetoric and actions of one administration with the nature and character of the American people.

We are an unruly, noisy, argumentative and sometimes contradictory democracy. We are also a country with an extraordinary ability to renew and reinvent ourselves.

After spending decades representing America in embassies around the world, I can tell you that my confidence and optimism rest not with Washington, but with the millions of Americans determined to have their voices heard.

Donald Maynard was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. In 2005, he joined the United States Foreign Service, beginning a diplomatic career that would take him around the world. Over the next two decades, he served in US diplomatic missions in Brasília; Baghdad, where he served twice; London; New Delhi, where he also served twice; Paris; Sydney; Peshawar, Pakistan; and Bridgetown, Barbados.