If you are breathing a sigh of relief over the results of the recent American mid-term elections, don’t hold your breath too long. Democracy is still threatened, the Orange one has again declared he is a candidate for the Presidency, and the rest of the Republican Party appears ready to cause as much chaos as possible to the country. But there was good news and we should be thankful that enough voters were not fooled by the traitorous bunch we euphemistically call “Election Deniers.” Frankly, I prefer the term traitors.

While the news here was relatively good, in Israel, the “smart Trump,” Benjamin (“Bibi”) Netanyahu, has again claimed power, moving Israel ever-closer to the brink of becoming a theocratic nation that will continue to lose the support of American Jewry. As that continues to occur, overall political support will diminish, American aid will be reduced, and Israel will be treated, increasingly, as a state like any other. The end of the “special relationship” between the two nations will be evident, along with the onset of a failed state.

So far, in the two weeks since Election Day, neither Israel or the United States has completed its election cycle—Israel has yet to form a government and in the U.S. Congressional leadership has yet to be announced. But, political trends are emerging, and the future, for both countries, does not bode well for democracy and stability.

In Israel’s case, a theocratic autocracy will likely emerge. For the U.S., so long as Donald Trump and his most zealous supporters remain viable and visible components in the electoral process, hatred, violent rhetoric, and disunity are likely societal disrupters, inhibiting political healing and a return to democratic norms. Both countries face major challenges, but only one—Israel—is threatened existentially.

For Israel, if Bibi Netanyahu partners with its religious and secular right to form a government, democracy will be in immediate peril as will its status as a nation that upholds western oriented norms and traditions. Without those characteristics being present, Israel will culturally and politically begin to look more like its new found Middle Eastern friends (e.g. the United Arab Emirates and Morocco), than it does Britain and the United States. As that happens, Western Jewry will become a diminished, unreliable friend that is likely to reduce its financial and political support, along with its emigration, to the Jewish state. Such an end result is not an immediate reality, but it seems inevitable should theocratic and authoritarian tendencies persist long into the future.

In the United States, the 2022 mid-terms showed clear evidence of moving in the correct direction, away from fascism and chaos. Trump is, increasingly, looking over his shoulder as Presidential rivals increase. But, populist and fascist seeds remain embedded in the body politic. Unfortunately, much of their weeding-out will depend on what the Republican Party does towards shifting its behavior. If their leaders don’t act, the public and, especially the press, will need to assume outsize roles in restoring sanity to our country. If that doesn’t happen, our reprieve will be over, political tyranny will become reality, and democratic institutions will continue on their downward spiral. The time to act is now!!!!