American expats in Belgium on the US election: Nigel Cameron
With election day in the US looming, American citizens both at home and abroad are concerned with the potential outcome. Belga spoke with five American expats living in Belgium to understand how their views of the US have changed during their time abroad.
Nigel Cameron, a 72-year-old American expat in Brussels, has found that living abroad has offered him a new perspective on the US political landscape. Born in the UK and a longtime resident of the US, Cameron spent more than 25 years in Chicago, Washington, DC and Wisconsin, where he gained American citizenship.
His academic background in history, religion and technology ethics led him to work at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Ottawa, as well as a stint as a tech editor and columnist for the British publication UnHerd. Now semi-retired, Cameron is settled in Saint-Josse and hopes to finalise his Belgian citizenship this November.
"Trump's potential return offers a terrifying threat both to US democracy and the global order"
Cameron’s relocation to Belgium coincided with Donald Trump’s first rise to presidency, a time of rapid political and social shifts. “His potential return offers a terrifying threat both to US democracy and the global order,” he says.
Although he describes himself as “a pretty conservative Republican on various policy issues”, he abandoned his previous party affiliation in light of Trump’s influence. “For many years, I was a registered Republican. But I could not possibly vote for a dangerous madman, so I voted for Mrs Clinton and then Mr Biden and I've already voted for Mrs Harris - three respectable, middle-of-the-road Democrats,” he says.
Shared unease
Living in Belgium, Cameron has become acutely aware of the differences between European and American politics, particularly in the responses he encounters from locals. Conversations with Belgians often revolve around a shared unease about a potential second Trump administration.
Cameron notes, however, that while Belgians and other Europeans voice concerns, they may lack a comprehensive understanding of American culture. “They're baffled by the gun culture, which just isn’t going to change, the healthcare system and widespread economic disparities - they aren't going away either,” he says.
While many Europeans struggle to understand the US healthcare structure, he points out that “most Americans have great healthcare; a significant minority do not, it’s pretty binary”.
Defence responsibilities
Despite his criticisms of US domestic policies, Cameron is quick to point out the complexities of Belgian politics, a landscape that he describes as “unbelievably complicated, with its main goal being to keep the country in one piece”.
“Belgium’s flagrant disregard of its defence responsibilities continues to embarrass: in 2023, only 1.1 per cent of GDP was spent on defence, versus the NATO norm of 2 per cent,” he says, contrasting it with Poland’s 3.9 per cent investment. Cameron sees this as a potential flashpoint in Belgium's relationship with the US if Trump returns to office.
“Most Americans really don’t want their country to be like Europe"
Cameron follows US politics closely, reading the New York Times and Washington Post every morning to stay informed. While Belgian media provide extensive coverage of US elections, he says the focus is often on the drama of the campaigns.
“America is just different,” he says, noting the cultural distance that many Europeans have from the values that drive American politics. “Most Americans really don’t want their country to be like Europe.”
(MOH)
Nigel Cameron © PHOTO BELGA HANDOUT
Related news
