LETTER: Many are glued to CNN or Al-Jazeera at the moment for the latest developments on the United States presidential election results.
At the time of writing, unofficially, Joe Biden is leading with 264 electoral college seats, while Donald Trump has 214 seats.
An American president occupies a special building called the White House. His or her spouse is addressed as the First Lady/Gentleman. His or her place of work is called the Oval Office and his or her well-equipped and state-of-the art plane is known as Air Force One.
He or she travels in style with a coterie of aides. Prime Ministers and Presidents of other states look forward to having an audience with him or her and happily welcome his or her state visit and arrival.
The president is the embodiment of power and prestige. He or she has the power to broker peace and treaties.
Jimmy Carter, for example, brokered the Camp David Accords in 1978. Richard Nixon assigned his National Security Adviser, Dr Henry Kissinger, to broker the Paris Accords with his North Vietnamese counterpart in 1973.
Only an American president can rally allies to form a coalition to fight a war in a far-flung place – as President George Bush did in Iraq. The US sees its global leadership as the ultimate guarantor of world order, according to Mark Landler in his book "Alter Egos", though some may think it is not necessary to put out every fire in the world.
A measure of restraint is seen as a smart and savvy approach. This calls for wisdom in sizing up a situation. Notice that in the past 10 years, the US's military engagements have been reduced.
As the saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat when tackling an issue, like the security threats faced by Afghanistan. Successive military powers have learned that to occupy Afghanistan is suicidal.
Former British Prime Minister, Harold McMillan, had wisely counselled nations not to invade the US. Those who disregarded such advice and tried to take their chances learned their lesson in a costly way.
DR KOH AIK KHOON
Former Associate Professor, UKM
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times