Geologists divide time into eras, and anthropologists divide human history into rough segments as well. American historians should do the same, with the time of the Cold War known as the Era of (Desired) Competency, and the collapse of the Soviet Union marking the transition to the Era of (Amateur) Personality, the time when social influencers, from President Trump on downward, based on little more than flapping their gums, had an outsized influence on American society and politics.
Can we return to Competency? Stay tuned.
