A Tale of Two Crises

My inbox is filled with newsletters about two countries … South Africa and the United States.

Every morning, when I’m done reviewing the latest dispatches, I usually mutter to myself something like, “Oh boy, I can really pick ‘em, can’t I?”

By quirk of fate, I ended up a citizen of two countries now going through acute political crises.

In both, most of the population is outraged at the government and politicians, demanding change… but afraid of what “change” might bring.

I worry about both countries a lot at a personal level. But the positive side of my experience is that I have a unique perspective on how to deal with extreme political instability…

Let’s start with South Africa. The ruling African National Congress has run the government since the first post-apartheid elections in 1994.

The first half of their rule was excellent. They did a great job moving the country onto a path toward shared prosperity and freedom.

But starting in 2009, it descended rapidly into corruption, incompetence, and detachment from the needs of ordinary citizens.

A solid majority of voters are fed up. The ANC is likely to lose their majority position in elections in May.

As for the US…

As Jeff wrote this week, America has become a “friends-and-enemies country.”

Increasingly, the only thing people have in common is living in the same national jurisdiction.

In their minds and behavior, they’re really living in different Americas.

It’s not the substance of the differences that’s so dangerous… It’s that they’ve become self-perpetuating, as people segregate themselves into “epistemic bubbles,” refusing to accept any information that doesn’t match with what they already believe.

When my friends ask why I came back to South Africa given its troubles, I tell them that I have a lot more hope for change for South Africa than I do for the US.

South Africa is at a stage in its history where most people have realized something is seriously wrong and are determined to change it. They’re focused on uniting to move the nation forward, not on fighting each other.

Sadly, the US has yet to go through the climactic crisis that will bring the nation back together.

Such crises have been repeated throughout US history… The country was born out of conflict with the hated British. The republic nearly disintegrated during the Civil War but emerged stronger because of it. World War II and the threat of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War also bought Americans together, until the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement reopened old wounds that have yet to heal…

Please understand: I’m optimistic about the future of the United States. The problem is the timeline. Given that South Africa is near the end of a critical period, and that most of the country is united in a common vision of change, it’s more likely to improve soon. In the US, things must get worse—probably a lot worse—before they get better.

When I first started at International Living my publisher asked me to write a piece that explained why I thought Americans should consider diversifying internationally. Here’s an excerpt:

The U.S. has reached a turning point. For those at the beginning of their lives, this is as much an opportunity as a challenge. There will be new ways to prosper, and millions of young people will benefit from them. This isn’t the end; for the young, it’s the beginning.

But us older folks don’t have that luxury. We’ve already put in the hard yards. Our fortunes depend on preserving and protecting those we have already made.

As someone who has set foot in nearly 90 countries, I am certain of three things.

First, the world is full of places to live and be happy. A change of location doesn’t solve every problem. But if you look, you will certainly find a home in another country that will leave you happier, more content and more fulfilled than remaining where you are.

Second, the key to finding those happy places—as I did many years ago in a seaside village at the southern end of Africa—is to know yourself. The key to improving your life by diversifying yourself globally is to know what you are running to, not just what you are running from.

Third, and most importantly, most people need a little encouragement to look at the rest of the world as a potential home. I found that encouragement early in life. That has made all the difference.

My motivation for creating my Global Citizen service was not because I’m “anti-American.”

Rather, I’m pro-people—starting with myself and my family.

I was fortunate enough to realize the opportunities that the world presented at a young age.

In the four decades since then, I’ve learned a great deal about how you can create valuable opportunities for yourself, both for its own sake and to guard against potential future trouble back home.

That’s precisely what I want to do for you… and why, with what Jeff calls “the most consequential political moment in America in 100 years”—the 2024 election—rushing towards us, my Global Citizen service is a great place to start.