This day is unlike any other. It will leave its mark on America and the world. Neither the country nor the man at its center is ordinary. The scene is dramatic, violent, dazzling and impactful. As America celebrates the inauguration of Donald Trump, the world must remain glued to its screens.

No one has the right to claim they are too busy. There is no event larger or more consequential. Attendance is mandatory and excuses are futile. This includes the ordinary citizen, the emperor on Mao Zedong鈥檚 throne, the anxious Volodymyr Zelensky and the troubling czar. Attendance is required whether you are seated in Charles de Gaulle鈥檚 office or Winston Churchill鈥檚.

The man is fascinating, unpredictable and impossible to decipher. He is capable of striking deals and flipping the table

Ghassan Charbel

The moment is electrifying. The man is fascinating, unpredictable and impossible to decipher. He is capable of striking deals and flipping the table. A man of biases and hatreds, his short phrases are bombs, his will is iron and his luck is golden.

Today, another mountain will be added to his towering ego. He has defeated them all: the Republican barons who dismissed him as an outsider, his Democratic rivals, Biden and Kamala Harris. He bested Hillary Clinton and her husband, as well as Michelle and Barack Obama. He triumphed over media moguls who relished tearing him apart on screens and social media. He outlasted the courts that tried him and the judges who vowed to bring the strongest man to his knees. He overcame accusations of tax evasion, harassment and misconduct 鈥� charges that would have forced any other president into retirement.

Trump is a different story. He swims in a sea of accusations and emerges unscathed. He knows how to speak to his followers, who have pledged their allegiance and refuse to believe any accusations against him. He is skilled at renewing the thread that binds them to him 鈥� with his slogans, his hats, his gestures and his dances. His raised fist, with blood streaked across his face, is a symbol: the bullet he dodged is the one that struck his rivals.

They underestimated him. When they closed the chapter on his first term, they thought they had consigned him to retirement, old age and the bitterness of wounds and memories. But the usual rules do not apply to Trump. His story is unique. He crafted his own image and his own style. A man of bold moves and deals, he appeals to an audience fearful for America鈥檚 identity, economy and role in the world.

Trump is not a man who enters or exits quietly. When he lost the 2020 election, he did not accept the result. He accused his opponents of stealing the White House. His followers believed it was a conspiracy to remove him because of his determination to restore America鈥檚 greatness. He laid the first stone toward reclaiming the 鈥渟tolen鈥� palace.

His raised fist, with blood streaked across his face, is a symbol: the bullet he dodged is the one that struck his rivals

Ghassan Charbel

He is back. Buckle up. Do not pretend this does not concern you. Do not act as though you are distant, that your country is immune because it has weathered previous presidents without a blink. When Americans vote, they are not merely choosing a president 鈥� they are crowning a general for the 鈥済lobal village.鈥� The evidence is abundant. The fear of 鈥渉ellfire鈥� hastened the Gaza ceasefire agreement. The US incubated the agreement to stop hostilities in southern Lebanon, with its implementation overseen by an American general.

The world cannot do without America, no matter how long the journey. America is essential to understanding the future of the Middle East, Iran, Taiwan, the Russian war in Ukraine, climate change and much more. America is no ordinary story. It is not just a collection of powerful fleets resembling strict, mobile nations. It is an economy, a hub of innovation, freedom, technology, universities and artificial intelligence. It is a nation uniquely capable of making mistakes and correcting them.

Its president does not wield the absolute power Bashar Assad did, nor does he enjoy the aura that surrounded Saddam Hussein or the unchecked control that Muammar Qaddafi had over his people and nation. Qaddafi mocked America as weak, declaring 鈥淭o hell with America.鈥� Saddam believed America respected strength regardless of style. Assad thought he could outwit the 鈥淕reat Satan鈥� and its Caesar Act. His father, Hafez, pretended to reside in Moscow鈥檚 embrace while keeping one eye on Washington.

But where are Assad, Saddam and Qaddafi now? What did they do for their countries 鈥� and to them?

America is a seasoned player. It stumbles and rises again. Fidel Castro lit its garment on fire and nearly triggered a nuclear feast. Ho Chi Minh humiliated it, forcing it to leave Saigon defeated. China and the Soviet Union drained it during the Korean War.

Today, post-Castro Cuba struggles. Vietnam now courts American investors and tourists. Korea remains divided. North Korea clings to poverty and missiles under Kim Il Sung鈥檚 grandson, while South Korea thrives under America鈥檚 umbrella. And the Soviet Union? It lives as a relic in history museums.

Trump鈥檚 return ensures exciting days ahead, from the challenge of the Chinese TikTok to Iran鈥檚 nuclear program, from confronting the 鈥淐hinese threat鈥� to tackling migration issues, from Middle East peace to peace in Ukraine 鈥� a difficult peace at steep costs. His threats of 鈥渉ell鈥� are taken seriously.

The man will be a formidable figure. He is the master of the White House, a bold gambler who does not accept defeat. With his election, America has thrown a massive stone into the world鈥檚 waters. Buckle up.

• Ghassan Charbel is editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. X: @GhasanCharbel

This article first appeared in