If the trends established in the US primaries for both parties until now are to be trusted US presidential campaign of 2016 is going to be a treat for global bystanders as we witness the US politics imploding. No one seemed to be counting on what 2016 had in store for us all — a challenge to the resilience of US political system in the form of the eccentric billionaire, Donald Trump. A person like Trump within touching distance of the presidency is a horrifying prospect for many. Some of the accolades he has gathered over his public and political life include being labelled a bigot, racist, despot, fascist, and bully among many others. Rarely has a candidate been mocked and ridiculed this much and continued an honourable political life in US, let alone won so convincingly in the Grand Old Party’s primaries. It is indeed a rare occurrence that the stalwarts of national politics from both sides of the aisle are condemning yet there seems to be no stopping him from attaining the ultimate prize.
The inevitable but sad demise of a party that has embraced and braved the challenges faced by a rising United States through industrial age and led it triumphant through the two great wars holds meaning and learning for those who heed. Any person who knows the Republican Party of today would certainly know that it in fact is the exact opposite of what it was enshrined by its first leaders to become. A party that was established by soldiers and activists and was always ahead of the curve when it came to modernisation and development is now a decaying and rotting mess. The president who was hailed as one of the greatest in the nation’s history, one who led his nation through the horrors of a ghastly civil war and jettisoned his people into civilisation was a Republican. The very same party’s fate is now beholden to someone none other than the presidential candidate Trump who feeds off of the ignorance, derives his strength off of fear and counts on the American people’s sudden craving to take a plunge into the unknown.
At a time while the US is embroiled in global crises and local issues on a scale that can only be rivalled by the Cold War fever, Trump as president is an event of unbelievable misfortune for the leader of the “Free World.” The United States is experiencing a severe blowback in the region of its vital interest i.e. the Middle East, with ISIS establishing a strong foothold, Iran attempting to reverse the power shifts made by US-led coalition with its constant warring in the immediate neighbourhood, and Turkey on an all-out extermination campaign against Kurdish militancy is only going to spoil the broth further. A discontented and marginalised Russia is in no mood of cooperation or concession for establishment of peace in the region.
The two vital alliances that US can always count on under normal circumstances are not in a position to answer the call of US for any global initiatives. The European Union (EU) is focused inwards with the refugee crisis, Brexit and shifting public opinion on the war against militancy, while the Gulf States are overseeing economic transitions to more sustainable economies, averting local uprisings and managing the security of their territories. Donald Trump holds to an opinion that there is no need of EU, and that the Gulf States should be paying the US for the military protection it provides.
On the local front, a host of socioeconomic issues await the incoming president, and Trump is a dangerous bigot, imprudent opportunist and an unsound statesman, at best. With rising discontentment among the African-American community as a result of perceived injustices and alleged racist attitude of law enforcement against them, Trump strikes at the protestors for creating a divisive environment, and trivialises the issue by claiming that everyone including him suffers from the discrimination. In the presence of a serious trust deficit between the general US population and the significant Muslim populace of the country Trump suggests halting the influx of Muslims and surveilling mosques. With the most inequitable wealth distribution in the US history Trump is a believer of trickle-down school of economics, creating a more relaxed tax regime for the rich and wealthy.
The president of the United States has carried on his shoulders the burden of not only the world’s strongest nation but of the Free World. A person vested with powers commensurate to his responsibilities, the US president is arguably the most powerful individual on the planet. A candidate whose life is full of mysteries, who has a serious liking for authoritarianism, who has a penchant for unclear and obscure stances, who has a racist disposition, and who simply lacks the political acumen to lead a nation is simply unfit for presidency. The Republican Party, the people of the United States and the world at large, with all their failings, simply deserve better.
The writer can be reached at aliizharbajwa@gmail.com and on twitter @ali_izhar