Columnist Verna Benham: Distrust in our democracy is just what our enemies want

We began the year with a booming economy and a calendar full of plans — how quickly they vanished as we shut everything down and stayed home. The entire world suffered from a dormant American economy. A particularly vivid memory is Holland trashing its tulips.

The nations are like a tightly knit fabric, every strand entwined with and dependent on others. The Wall Street Journal’s article, “Globalization in Retreat,” says the trade outlook depends on whether we can put the pandemic behind us. Sadly, it’s not yet over, and several issues have eroded trust. When critically needed medical supplies depended on China’s supply and were unavailable, nations questioned being so dependent on other nations and moved inward. Nationalism generally gained strength around the world.