BY THURSDAY, it was clear that the most expensive mid-term elections had done little to clarify who is ahead in the battle for the soul of America.

Control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate was leaning towards the Republican Party. But with razor-thin margins and with a major run-off pending, the state of play is tenuous.

President Joe Biden had some cause to celebrate, however, having not received the 'shellacking' that was expected.

Administrations normally endure a dip in popularity in the middle of their term. With inflation at its highest rate in years and with Mr Biden's approval rating relatively low, his prospects did not look promising. His party defied expectations, no doubt partially because of concerns about abortion rights.

If Mr Biden was the lone winner of this election, Donald Trump was the loser. The red wave that was expected did not materialise. Many of the officials endorsed by Mr Trump did not go far.

There were notable victories for Democrats. John Fetterman flipped Pennsylvania, defeating Mehmet Oz, also known as Dr Oz, in what can be taken as a direct repudiation of the notion that TV celebrities like Mr Trump are necessarily fit for public office.

But there was also a landslide for Republican Ron DeSantis in Florida, and some election-deniers were victorious and will now oversee future elections.

This mixed picture after the expenditure of a whopping US$16.7 billion in campaign spending by the parties is a blow not just to America but to the global world order.

It is not America alone that is riven with partisan warfare.

Western democracies are equally divided along ideological lines and are thereby weakened. What happens in one country has an impact, both directly and indirectly, on the stability of the global political order. Where there is no stability, there is room for peace itself to be undermined.

Russia's war on Ukraine is arguably motivated more by apparent weaknesses in Western countries than anything else. China's move on Wednesday to strengthen military training in preparation for war may be a sign of an appetite on the part of some countries to take advantage of this perception.

None of this is good news for anybody.

At a time when countries cannot seem to agree even on working together to combat climate change, the prospect of more political, economic, social and military turbulence adds to the dangers that lie ahead.

Mr Biden, who came to power in 2020 promising to heal rifts in a campaign that was about defining the soul of his nation, has announced his willingness to run again for office in 2024. But sooner or later even he will have to either admit defeat or concede that the battle is nowhere near an end.