Pakistan Today

Silent majority

And what it shouted out loud

 

A Trump presidency now certainly means uncertainty at least for quite some time till Trump assumes presidency

 

I remember reading Mohsin Hamid’s ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ and the scene when the protagonist expresses silent relief at the American hegemony being attacked — summing up the catastrophic upheaval 9/11 has caused to the Muslim world, evidently. After the news of Trump getting elected as the 45th President of the United States of America — Americans rejoiced while the minority groups were dismayed. Opinions have been extremely bewildering at what the American nation did and subsequently would go through — public opinion travelled in the words of labeling American under the forthcoming presidency as misogynist and sexist.

The fact that the American dream has been shattered or has it taken a new turn is guess work for spectators and speculators alike for now. Whilst listening to the analysts, one coined the term of ‘silent majority’ winning the election. This silent majority essentially constitutes as the white American men and women who have been the most affected ‘group’ since the war on terror started. This US election, which took turns and held different facets all along, has ended with Donald J. Trump getting elected. Much of the same reasons resonate behind such polarising result that were involved in the Brexit episode — immigration, unemployment and the high ratio of hate speech and bigotry that has been infused continuously to find public opinion submerged on the American side (to add further public support for the war on terror). Furthermore, it has been evident throughout history that Americans normally after two terms (of Democrats or Republicans) elect the alternative party. It also means a sad inconsequential end for the Obama administration.

A Trump presidency now certainly means uncertainty at least for quite some time till Trump assumes presidency. Though the victory speech has always comprised of the usual rhetoric but it showed the difference a candidate and a president pursues when faced with responsibility. The US election of 2016 presents a drastic slide for the establishment that was earlier summed up and sealed with the name of Hilary Clinton. This now shows the pattern laid for Trump to face at various fronts. The international economic order will be affected. For the fact that Trump endorses and prioritises the ultimate right of the American people who have been left out from the financial flow of benefits that in the American society has been adding to the widening chasm. The case of immigration has significantly helped him win the election, since it also showed the vehement support of the British nation against the issue who also chanted to bring England back on the map of the world.

What America has done is the result of the divide that has been created due to financial differences that have affected low-income Americans in the past decade. The inability of the Obama administration to recover from the 2008 financial recession, NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) have been the disparaging reasons of Trump’s shocking victory.

What further classifies to make America Great Again, as per Trump’s slogan — is the fact that the liberal, multi-cultural notions that America widely purported shows how negative the real side of the picture is. It’s weary, gloomy and even critical as the nation that has wildly added multi-cultural society and globalisation as prerogatives has been a disadvantage for the rest of the Americans.

The US election is important for the entire world, but they hold a crucial position for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Middle East provides a region with issues and challenges for Trump. The Iran deal, which is has been strongly criticised by him, might get some protection from some supportive Republicans while with other issues it would also mean a completely unpredictable approach that Trump may take. For Pakistan, Trump hasn’t highlighted Pakistan during his election campaign but has expressed the idea of close cooperation and ties with India (due to India’s economic positing of being a big market). Pakistan’s ties with US were already reaching a low-point whether it meant a Clinton presidency or Trump’s. Some analysts in Pakistan claim that Pakistan has progressed when working with Republican regimes, but whether it takes for a Democrat government or Republic rule, Pakistan has had a strenuous relation with the US. With Trump as the president, Pakistan might be ignored when seen through the Indian context, and also as far as terrorism is concerned, US policies are and would be based on the vested interests that have to be adhered to.

The US election is important for the entire world, but they hold a crucial position for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan

Trump’s policies also highlight the nationalist, hawkish stance that has been the primary subject of his campaign throughout. But also, the isolationist approach that Trump might decide to take. The American dream of melting pot, the assimilation of cultures and globalisation seems a shattering reality. What has to be considered is the fact that the white Americans, who according to an estimate will become a minority by 2042, have spoken against the melting pot.

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