Will this man really become the next American President?
The rise of Donald Trump in the US, the second largest democracy with near 100 pc literacy, in this day and age is symptomatic .Trump may not be a fascist in strict terms but he possesses several tendencies fascists are known for. His views about immigrants, particularly Muslims and Hispanics are reminiscent of Nazi racism. Traces of glee are evident in his calls to beat up protesters and torture enemy combatants. Concerns have been expressed about his democratic credentials after his scorn for the existing system, his indulgence in conspiracy theories, and his open admiration of autocrats like Vladimir Putin. He is also a misogynist. Despite these drawbacks, Trump has emerged a serious contender for US presidency.
There are large sections of population in the developed world which have been left out by globalization. There is a widening gap leading to inequalities with well-known economists predicting that those born in families with limited resources are doomed to live like that and that meritocracy, the outstanding feature of modern democracy, has lost its place in American society. While the perception is widespread in the small towns, following 2008’s financial crisis a feeling has grown among the urban working middle classes also that their condition isn’t improving, and real wages have barely budged for decades. After 2008 the feeling became more acute when thousands became homeless or lost businesses while Wall Street bankers thrived. Many concluded then that both the GOP and the Democrats are for all practical purposes two sides of the same coin. Billionaire Donald Trump was seen by this section of society as s messiah for his contempt for the system and disrespect for political correctness
There is a lesson from this for the mainstream parties of Pakistan. In case they remain unresponsive to the people’s felt needs and aspirations they are likely to be replaced by fake populists with fascistic tendencies. The replacement of a liberal and secular Congress in India with Hindu nationalists because it failed to deliver should be an eye-opener for mainstream parties in Pakistan.
