• by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, December 29, 2016

History may look back on 2016 as a turning point in American -- and likely -- world history.

The strongest representation of this is the election of Donald Trump, likely the most underprepared president-elect in American history. Trump’s success took the country and the world by surprise and ushers in an era of political uncertainty, which has many on edge.

While the markets and consumer confidence have reached new heights, international diplomacy has started flying off the rails. A Trump phone call set off a diplomatic storm with China, a few Trump tweets seem to have ushered in a new era of nuclear unpredictability with Russia, and the Israel-U.S. relationship appears to be at its lowest point in decades.

International norms in trade, human rights and diplomacy will probably be scrapped over the next few years, as our administration starts looking increasingly inward rather than creating bridges abroad.

Domestically, the situation is precarious. Racial tensions are flying high, and Trump seems unwilling or unable to do anything to allay concerns.

Attacks on long-trusted news outlets and an inability to agree on basic facts mount. “Post-truth” takes hold to such an extent the Oxford Dictionaries declared it the word of the year.

The overall rejection of mainstream media is accentuated by our president-elect’s apparent desire to frighten and cajole reporters and news outlets into agreeing with his version of reality.

No, Russia did not interfere in our elections, and all those federal agencies that say so are just an arm of the Washington elite trying to cloud American minds, according to Trump’s argument.

Come January, with alt-right prophet Steve Bannon as Trump's right-hand man, we may be in for a wild ride.