A country and a world out of balance

NEW YORK — Writing about 2025 from an American perspective is both easy and difficult. It is easy because there is so much to choose from. It is also difficult for the same reason. On the domestic front, even a short list would include: the longest-ever government shutdown; the national debt surpassing $38 trillion; persistent inflation, along with increased joblessness and inequality amid accelerating, artificial intelligence (AI)-fueled economic growth; growing political violence; efforts to seal the southern border to illegal immigration, coupled with mass deportations; the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles and several other American cities; attacks…