This is an age of political upheavals and subversions. The established political orders are being questioned and upended at a terrific speed; the right, with high toxicity, is considered right more than ever before and mavericks and crazies are replacing level-headed leaders. Nowhere is this phenomenon more pronounced than in the US, where the big win of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the New Hampshire primary has many Americans scratching their heads with all fingers about where their country is heading. Many think he should have been crushed and chucked out many weeks ago. But he proved them wrong. Here is a presidential hopeful who favours barring Muslims from entering the United States, who mocks women, insults Latin Americans, endorses war crimes like torture, denounces party icons and mouths expletives, but still enjoys splendid support among his party men. Even the Republican establishment is shocked, but feels helpless in the face of Trump’s relentless surge which is as sweeping as a destructive flood in its unstoppability.
As political pundits try to dig deep to explain this weird phenomenon, the rest of the world is equally worried at Trump’s invincibility. It’s common sense that power can inject practical wisdom into the craziest of leaders, but this rule may not apply to Trump. A leader who has been abusing and trampling on everything others consider unassailable, and whose support base has only been swelling with every such disrespectful act, can’t be expected to play by the rules.
One explanation is that voters are reacting furiously against the status quo. The visceral disappointment of the white middleclass at the erosion of their power and lives, the stagflation, cross-border trade deals and Wall Street bailouts have all been blamed for his surge. The public revolt is said to be rooted in decades of failure by politicians to improve the living standards of ordinary Americans.
But the Republican establishment has no right to wring its hand in despair at Trump’s destructive rise. Republican leaders brought this on themselves. Over decades they have been indulging in a toxic politics of fear and hatred and it’s time to harvest what they have sowed.
The victory of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders over the long-time favourite Hillary Clinton too has surprised America. Bernie is a longstanding leftwing demagogue, a socialist, which is considered an anathema in America. His rise is interesting for our region for a different reason -- he is the first Jewish person and non-Christian to win a presidential primary. His views on Middle East are under scrutiny. He has declared that he is not a great fan of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and boycotted Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress last year. But now he will be confronting different realities.
This is an age of political upheavals and subversions. The established political orders are being questioned and upended at a terrific speed; the right, with high toxicity, is considered right more than ever before and mavericks and crazies are replacing level-headed leaders. Nowhere is this phenomenon more pronounced than in the US, where the big win of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the New Hampshire primary has many Americans scratching their heads with all fingers about where their country is heading. Many think he should have been crushed and chucked out many weeks ago. But he proved them wrong. Here is a presidential hopeful who favours barring Muslims from entering the United States, who mocks women, insults Latin Americans, endorses war crimes like torture, denounces party icons and mouths expletives, but still enjoys splendid support among his party men. Even the Republican establishment is shocked, but feels helpless in the face of Trump’s relentless surge which is as sweeping as a destructive flood in its unstoppability.
As political pundits try to dig deep to explain this weird phenomenon, the rest of the world is equally worried at Trump’s invincibility. It’s common sense that power can inject practical wisdom into the craziest of leaders, but this rule may not apply to Trump. A leader who has been abusing and trampling on everything others consider unassailable, and whose support base has only been swelling with every such disrespectful act, can’t be expected to play by the rules.
One explanation is that voters are reacting furiously against the status quo. The visceral disappointment of the white middleclass at the erosion of their power and lives, the stagflation, cross-border trade deals and Wall Street bailouts have all been blamed for his surge. The public revolt is said to be rooted in decades of failure by politicians to improve the living standards of ordinary Americans.
But the Republican establishment has no right to wring its hand in despair at Trump’s destructive rise. Republican leaders brought this on themselves. Over decades they have been indulging in a toxic politics of fear and hatred and it’s time to harvest what they have sowed.
The victory of Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders over the long-time favourite Hillary Clinton too has surprised America. Bernie is a longstanding leftwing demagogue, a socialist, which is considered an anathema in America. His rise is interesting for our region for a different reason -- he is the first Jewish person and non-Christian to win a presidential primary. His views on Middle East are under scrutiny. He has declared that he is not a great fan of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and boycotted Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress last year. But now he will be confronting different realities.
