Of course, the world’s number one economic and military power and the number two greenhouse gas emitter should always be worthy of attention.
But what is an extra worry this year concerns the place of the United States as the traditional standard bearer for democracy and democratic rights — for all its faults and double standards over the decades.
What happens in the so-called land of the free echoes around the globe.
Democracy everywhere is fragile enough without a hobbled exemplar in the US.
Led by former president Donald Trump, trust in the foundations of a democratic state — its core institutions and the mainstream media continues to be attacked and undermined.
"Fake news" has become a simplistic way to call out information not to your liking. Without even a basis for shared facts, debate becomes impossible.
We have seen this play out here in the frightening anti-vax and anti-government protests at Parliament. We experience the insidious influence of American influencers.
Today's mid-term elections are for the 435 seats in the US House of Representatives and a third of the Senate.
The House is expected to switch from a narrow Democrat majority to a Republican lead. The Senate’s 50-seats-each balance (with Vice-president Kamala Harris holding the casting vote) could also tip.
That would leave President Joe Biden relying on executive orders and limited executive power to govern. Any Democrat agenda would flounder even more than at present. Most significant is the prospect of deniers of the last presidential elections coming to hold and being appointed to electoral system posts around the country.
Some of these Republicans (two-thirds of party supporters still believe the election was stolen), including many lawmakers, could not countenance Republican defeat.
Would they not only gerrymander where possible but also be willing to deny legitimate electoral results?
It took brave and principled men and women, some of them Republican and a few appointed by Mr Trump, to resist pressure from the former president.
This "threat to democracy" line is being pushed hard by Democrat leaders to galvanise voters. They also point to the threats of violence against officials, and the invasion of the home of Congress Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the bashing of her husband.
While it is hard to see US democracy folding like a house of cards, it is being wounded by degrees.
Election deniers in key roles would skewer the legitimacy of the voting system for many Democrats. Both sides would then not trust this core underpinning of free elections.
The pattern has mostly been that the party of the incumbent president goes backwards during the midterms. On top of that, inflation and worries about the economy also put the Democrats behind.
Hopes the Supreme Court decision on abortion might rouse women to vote for the Democrats looked promising but have been fading.
Women, like youth and Hispanics whom the Democrats have eyed, have plenty of conservatives among their number.
Whatever the results of these midterms, both parties are already looking towards the next presidential contest.
Again, the impact will go well beyond the United States.
The attitudes and policies of Mr Trump have already put the US a long way behind in global efforts to fight climate change. Mr Trump in the last week said he would "very, very, very probably" run for president in 2024. Another four years of Mr Trump is a frightening prospect for the world. The Democrats, meanwhile, whether they are licking their wounds as expected or somehow fashion some success from the midterms, will need to find a strong figure for their next tilt at the White House.
Although Mr Biden was a satisfactory compromise to defeat Mr Trump, confidence in him has slipped. The fresh candidate will have to appeal to middle Americans, meaning the Democratic left and liberal progressives will have to rein in their push for more rapid economic and social change.
