Now a distant memory for some, the United States, along with much of the West, experienced a tremendous mass social unrest unseen for generations in 2020. Ignited by the police murder of George Floyd, race was the central issue underpinning the unrest and has dominated nearly every sphere of American life since. As in South Africa, dozens died, with an estimated $2 billion in property loss incurred. In some places, like the Pacific Northwest, the unrest never ended.
Finally, as in South Africa, the violence had elite endorsement, cheering from the sidelines while also being unable to describe events for what they were. Clearly, the United States, a half-century after the Civil Rights era and in a state of virtual Pax Americana, isn’t immune to social destabilization. Read more…
