By Xhabir Deralla
When I first saw a few-second clip of VP Kamala Harris saying, “We are not going back,” I was alarmed. It reminded me of the main election campaign slogan, “We’re not giving up on the future,” used by the Social Democrats in North Macedonia, who led a pro-Western and democratic government that lost catastrophically to far-right nationalists who recently formed a government in my country. I immediately wrote to some of my American friends to share my concerns that messages featuring “no-s” and “back-s” are never good.
One of them is Kim Devlin, American political strategist, familiar with political developments in the Balkans and North Macedonia in particular, responded right away. “There were so many things wrong with the SDSM campaign that their slogan was the least of it. When Dems say ‘we are not going back,’ we immediately follow up with talking about our vision and plans for the future,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, I saw the statement from VP Harris, and it was about Project 2025. As she put it, it’s “a plan to return America to a dark past.” Yeah, that’s definitely something to say NO to, and a context where “we are not going back” makes perfect sense. Moreover, in the same statement, Kamala listed the achievements of President Biden’s and her administration, which stand in stark contrast to the monstrous Project 2025. And she looks and sounds nothing short of powerful, decisive, and convincing. With her strong and clear forward vision in place, she can of course state that going back is not an option.
Sitting in my small apartment in the small capital of my small country, I made a comparison that is hardly possible to make. Still, I kept on making it. Kamala’s approach is in stark contrast with the Social Democrats in North Macedonia whose election campaign was anemic and chaotic, pretty much like their seven-year-long rule from 2017 to 2024, regardless of the many achievements, including the world-famous Prespa Agreement that ended the nearly three-decade name dispute with Greece.
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Then, Kim sent me this swifties4kamala clip to me, contextualizing a quote by the hyper celebrity Taylor Swift: “We’re NOT going back. Like EVER.” And I totally made peace with that part of Kamala’s statement. ForEVER.
Why am I so concerned with the US elections? I have to answer this question to many of my friends and colleagues here at home. Well, there’s not much to explain. In the year of elections, when more than half of the world population lives in countries that hold elections this year, I’m more than convinced that US elections are the most important. The world’s democracy will depend on who is going to sit in the White House from January 2025 on. The most critical issues in the world depend on the decisions made in the Oval Office. Indeed, whether war criminals and dictators, such as Putin, will prevail in their conquest against freedom and democracy or not, depends on who will be the leader of the mightiest country in the world. Whether human rights defenders and progressive civil society will be prosecuted and banned in various countries with authoritarian rulers depends on the various forms of protection that the United States or Germany in Europe can provide. Whether Ukraine and Europe can have hopes for just peace or not depends on the strongest member of the NATO Alliance. That is why, and for so many other reasons, it is important to see who wins in the U.S. or Germany, France, or in the European Parliament for that matter.
“As you know, SDSM [Social Democrat Union of Macedonia] never talked about the future,” Kim wrote to me in her message. Well, true. Social democrats, just as many others in Europe, including the suicidal reaction of US Democrats after the critical night of the Biden-Trump debate on June 28. But shots were fired, and soon after that, the great American, Joe Biden, made a decision.
However, on the eve when Joe passed the torch to Kamala, a great energy and optimism erupted in the prodemocracy circles in the US and across the world. I will always remember my American friend, Kim, writing to me on that evening.
“Jabir, I have to tell you that there is such hope, joy, and energy within Dems across the country, from the minute he [Biden] endorsed Kamala. He is so loved, and while it was heartbreaking when he dropped out, there was also relief because he would not have held up well running against Trump for 3+ months. I believe he will go down in history as the most patriotic American for his sacrifice. We needed this energy; it’s our only shot to defeat Trump,” she wrote.
I feel the same energy. Elon Musk does, too, I believe.
This is an opinion article. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author.
