The US has lost faith in the American dream. Is this the end of the country as we know it?

The Republican's second presidential term heralds a more inward-looking US where resentment has replaced idealism and nobody wins without someone else losing

A dozen years ago - an eternity in American politics - the Republican party was reeling from its fourth presidential election loss in six tries and decided that it needed to be a lot kinder to the people whose votes it was courting.

No more demonising of migrants, the party resolved - it was time for comprehensive immigration reform. No more demeaning language that turned off women and minorities - it needed more of them to run for office.