Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

It’s time to wake up! Throughout the US Presidential Election 2016, we, the progressive people around the world, kept saying Donald Trump lives in a parallel universe. However, by winning the election on  November 8, Trump has made it absolutely clear that, in fact, we have been living in a parallel universe. Because we failed to realise how the political landscape in the West has drastically changed over the past few years. 

The mainstream media, the expert political analysts and professional pollsters had given a confident wrong verdict long time back on the election results. Perhaps, these people were reluctant to come out of their cozy familiar world of idealistic dreams and face the harsh reality. 
Our familiar doctrines of diversity, equal rights and moral values may not create a strong appeal in this radically distorted world. A large number of people in today’s world are anxious, hopeless and scared. And demagogues like Trump are taking advantage of their fears and anxieties. We all are responsible for this unhealthy political atmosphere.
To a great extent, America’s reckless and lopsided foreign policies instigated the rise of global terrorism. American leaders are good at creating pervasive problems, but American people are reluctant to suffer the ominous consequences that emerge out of those problems. 
At the same time, lack of transparent democratic practices in many countries around the world provided terrorist organisations a steady context for growing their bases. This has also facilitated the worst refugee crisis of the century. Trump’s presidency is the consequence of our collective failure to sustain the principles of the good that bridged nations, religions and races. We should now face the ruthless reality and figure out what is happening.
Over the last two decades, the world has experienced devastating wars, rise of religious and ideological radicalism, neo-fascism, and decline in good governance and democratic practices. As a consequence, we got ISIS, refugee crisis, Brexit and Trump.  
From an economic perspective, globalisation has created winners and losers in both hemispheres of the Earth. The profit maximising policies of large corporations created deprivation and destitution in many regions around the world. At one hand, globalisation has benefitted the richest nations by exploiting the poorest. On the other hand, strategic relocation of jobs to cheaper destinations for the sake of cost cutting has created economic deprivation in the advanced economies. 
Globalisation has benefitted the economic elites in the developed countries. However, the working class in the US and many European nations saw their jobs being relocated to Mexico, India and China. Many thriving industries in the US have been swept away by the tsunami of trade globalisation. As a consequence, we have seen a Trump triumph in traditionally Democrat states like Michigan and Wisconsin, which have long been the manufacturing hubs of the US. 
However, globalisation alone should not be blamed for this transition because it also plays a significant role in improving the livelihoods of millions of people around the world. Failure of local policies of individual nations has also been an impediment to inclusive economic growth. 
We must understand that people who voted for Trump also have their frustrations, which we should carefully take into account. Progressive philosophies and moral judgments do not work for someone who is unemployed, hungry and hopeless. Populist movements around the world are revolving around the anger and frustration of these desperate people. Leaders like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage are reaching out to these distressed people and portraying themselves as saviours. They are blaming it on Muslims, immigrants, Mexico and China and offering quick-fix solutions. Perhaps, such solutions will bring more problems than remedies in the long run.
I believe we must not forget to be vigilant during this perplexing time. US presidents serve for four to eight years, but their legacies remain for centuries. If George W Bush had not been elected in 2000, we might not have witnessed devastating wars and the rise of ISIS. Millions of people around the world might not have lost their lives. We must understand that we are living in a world where decisions and actions of powerful leaders have significant implications not only for their own people, but also for others around the globe. We must not forget to remain united in such a confusing time when the bleak shadows of disruptive ideologies, religious extremism, aggressive chauvinism and capitalistic hegemony are threatening humanity. Let us all stand together, defiantly and with utmost passion, for diversity, environment, peace, empathy and tolerance. Let us “never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it”, as Hillary Clinton said in her concession speech. 

The writer is Lecturer, School of Business and Economics, North South University.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Its time to wake up! Throughout the US Presidential Election 2016, we, the progressive people around the world, kept saying Donald Trump lives in a parallel universe. However, by winning the election on November 8, Trump has made it absolutely clear that, in fact, we have been living in a parallel universe. Because we failed to realise how the political landscape in the West has drastically changed over the past few years. The mainstream media, the expert political analysts and professional pollsters had given a confident wrong verdict long time back on the election results. Perhaps, these people were reluctant to come out of their cozy familiar world of idealistic dreams and face the harsh reality. Our familiar doctrines of diversity, equal rights and moral values may not create a strong appeal in this radically distorted world. A large number of people in todays world are anxious, hopeless and scared. And demagogues like Trump are taking advantage of their fears and anxieties. We all are responsible for this unhealthy political atmosphere. To a great extent, Americas reckless and lopsided foreign policies instigated the rise of global terrorism. American leaders are good at creating pervasive problems, but American people are reluctant to suffer the ominous consequences that emerge out of those problems. At the same time, lack of transparent democratic practices in many countries around the world provided terrorist organisations a steady context for growing their bases. This has also facilitated the worst refugee crisis of the century. Trumps presidency is the consequence of our collective failure to sustain the principles of the good that bridged nations, religions and races. We should now face the ruthless reality and figure out what is happening. Over the last two decades, the world has experienced devastating wars, rise of religious and ideological radicalism, neo-fascism, and decline in good governance and democratic practices. As a consequence, we got ISIS, refugee crisis, Brexit and Trump. From an economic perspective, globalisation has created winners and losers in both hemispheres of the Earth. The profit maximising policies of large corporations created deprivation and destitution in many regions around the world. At one hand, globalisation has benefitted the richest nations by exploiting the poorest. On the other hand, strategic relocation of jobs to cheaper destinations for the sake of cost cutting has created economic deprivation in the advanced economies. Globalisation has benefitted the economic elites in the developed countries. However, the working class in the US and many European nations saw their jobs being relocated to Mexico, India and China. Many thriving industries in the US have been swept away by the tsunami of trade globalisation. As a consequence, we have seen a Trump triumph in traditionally Democrat states like Michigan and Wisconsin, which have long been the manufacturing hubs of the US. However, globalisation alone should not be blamed for this transition because it also plays a significant role in improving the livelihoods of millions of people around the world. Failure of local policies of individual nations has also been an impediment to inclusive economic growth. We must understand that people who voted for Trump also have their frustrations, which we should carefully take into account. Progressive philosophies and moral judgments do not work for someone who is unemployed, hungry and hopeless. Populist movements around the world are revolving around the anger and frustration of these desperate people. Leaders like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage are reaching out to these distressed people and portraying themselves as saviours. They are blaming it on Muslims, immigrants, Mexico and China and offering quick-fix solutions. Perhaps, such solutions will bring more problems than remedies in the long run. I believe we must not forget to be vigilant during this perplexing time. US presidents serve for four to eight years, but their legacies remain for centuries. If George W Bush had not been elected in 2000, we might not have witnessed devastating wars and the rise of ISIS. Millions of people around the world might not have lost their lives. We must understand that we are living in a world where decisions and actions of powerful leaders have significant implications not only for their own people, but also for others around the globe. We must not forget to remain united in such a confusing time when the bleak shadows of disruptive ideologies, religious extremism, aggressive chauvinism and capitalistic hegemony are threatening humanity. Let us all stand together, defiantly and with utmost passion, for diversity, environment, peace, empathy and tolerance. Let us never stop believing that fighting for whats right is worth it, as Hillary Clinton said in her concession speech. The writer is Lecturer, School of Business and Economics, North South University.