Politics of Fear and Loathing

BY TOM ARMS

Fear is the major political currency of America’s Republican Party. The traditionalists are frightened of socialism. They are scared of big government. They dread the thought of a diminished suburban lifestyle.  They are panic-stricken at the thought of losing their guns that protect from the forces of both the law and lawlessness. But most of all, in an increasingly racially divided society, the long-dominant White population is terrified of becoming a minority.

Republicans will deny that they are racists

Republicans will deny that they are racists. But the fact is that race issues have been a dominant theme in American politics from the arrival of the first African slaves in 1619, to the genocidal elimination of Native Americans, the Civil War, segregation, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Act and, finally, Trump’s promised wall.

They are not overly concerned with constitutional rights (except perhaps their interpretation of the Second Amendment). Enforcement of the rule of law is not at the top of the agenda (except as it pertains to the protection of property). Whether or not their president is a tax-evading, misogynistic, narcissistic, racist, incompetent foul-mouthed liar is of little interest. They accept that he is a bastard. But he is their bastard. Even a global pandemic which has left more Americans died than in any other country takes a back seat to the battle to preserve the fabled American dream.

America is a largely conservative society. Donald Trump is in the White House because he has successfully managed to persuade Americans that he is their best bet for fighting off the foreign +hordes and ideas that run counter to perceived American values. In this election, the American right has gone to war; and, as in any war, the first casualty is truth.

That was obvious from the Republican Convention where speaker after speaker uttered outrageous lies in the pursuit of four more years of a Trump presidency. Former Army Colonel turned anti-abortionist nun, Sister Deidre Byrne, accused Joe Biden and Kamala Harris of supporting not only late-term abortion but infanticide as well.

Tennessee Senator Marshal Blackburn warned: “If the Democrats have their way, they would keep you locked in your homes until you become dependent on the government for everything. “

A succession of Trump family members took to the podium to extol the virtues of their paterfamilias. They backed his oft-stated assertion that he is the greatest American president since Abraham Lincoln and the only man capable of saving America from the liberals, the democrats, the anarchists, the forces of lawlessness and all those who have united in a perfect storm to “demolish” the American dream.

The problem with the Republican version of the American dream is that it is rooted in the past and fighting a losing battle against the unstoppable tides of history

The problem with the Republican version of the American dream is that it is rooted in the past and fighting a losing battle against the unstoppable tides of history. This is especially apparent in the country’s shifting ethnic mix.  In 1776 the infant United States was 80 per cent White drawn from British stock. Immigration from Europe throughout the 19^th and early 20^th century reduced the British proportion of the American population but increased the number of Caucasians. By 1920, the percentage of White Americans peaked at 90 per cent of the population and stayed there until well into the 1950s.

But from the 1960s the booming American economy started attracting Asians and south of the border Latinos who brought with them different religions, cultures and language; all of which are perceived by conservative Whites as a threat to their national identity.  By 2018 the relative proportion of America’s White population had dramatically shrunk to 60 per cent, and demographers reckon that American Whites will become an ethnic minority by 2044. In fourteen American states and Washington DC, the White population is already a minority.

The birth rate of the different ethnic groups is having a bigger impact on population trends than immigration

Donald Trump would have us believe that immigration blocks will reduce the gap. Wrong. The birth rate of the different ethnic groups is having a bigger impact on population trends than immigration. White women have America’s lowest reproduction rate with an average of 1.7 children per mother. American Latinos top the charts at 2.2 children. The White population also has the highest mortality rate.

Try as they might, Republicans will fail in their Canutish efforts. But their attempt to stop the unstoppable can inflict major damage on America and its role in the world.

World Review

Jacob Blake was shot in the back with a gun seven times by police. As a result, he is paralyzed from the waist down. Another result was an outbreak of riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin and the deaths of two more people, also shot by guns. Jacob Blake was shot by the police because they thought that he was going for a gun in his car. You may have noticed that the word that appears quite regularly in the previous five sentences is “gun”. It is the common denominator that links all of the above actions. Remove the word. Remove the guns and there would be no paralysis and no deaths in Kenosha and thousands of other American towns and cities. In 2017 (the last year for which full statistics are available) there were 14,452 gun-related homicides in the US—many times more than any other developed country in the world. In fact, on a per 100,000 basis, America is on a par with Somalia.

Alexei Navalny is now in a Berlin hospital, and, surprise, surprise, the German doctors have determined that the Russian opposition leader was poisoned by a toxic substance that attacked his nervous system. So much for yet another Russian denial. The German doctors have also determined that the doctors in the Siberian city of Omsk also administered an antidote for nerve agent poison. Russian government authorities also deny this. In fact, in what must be regarded as an act of supreme irony, President Vladimir Putin has sent Navalny best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Patriotism in Iran is closely allied to blind support for the Shia branch of Islam. Iran is, effectively, a theocracy. This has created some problems for the Mullahs trying to balance Islamic observations which are vital to their continued political existence with the fight against coronavirus. A good example of the problem was this week’s Muharran ceremonies which mark the death of the Prophet’s grandson Imam Hussein. The anniversary is marked by mass rallies and parades in which tens—even hundreds—of thousands of closely packed worshippers march through the streets beating their chests, self-flagellating and pounding on drums—a perfect incubator for COVID-19. Iran already has the highest pandemic death rate in the region. Officially, the figure is 20,000. But the BBC has uncovered government statistics that show that on 20 July more than 42,000 Iranians had died from coronavirus.

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown by the Malian military because of his failure to suppress the activities of Al Qaeeda and its various offshoots who have been using Mali as a major base for operations throughout West Africa.

The West African country of Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. It is also Muslim. This makes it an easy target for Jihadists and military coups—a double fate to which Mali has fallen victim. This week President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown by the Malian military because of his failure to suppress the activities of Al Qaeeda and its various offshoots who have been using Mali as a major base for operations throughout West Africa. In fact, the Muslim extremists took advantage of the political confusion caused by the coup to launch a new offensive in the north of the country. The Jihadist activities in Mali are the reason why French, British, American, UN and African Union troops are based in Mali. The military coup has another dimension linked to the coronavirus pandemic. The death rate in West Africa is starting to climb; stretching already overstretched medical facilities; causing immense economic difficulties and threatening the political stability of the entire region, including oil-rich Nigeria. The 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was quick to condemn the coup. Their thinking? There but by the grace of God….

The Greeks and Turks have been at loggerheads since ancient times when what is now Turkey was a part of the Persian Empire which was constantly threatening to overwhelm the Greek Peninsula. In more modern times, the Greeks enlisted British support to gain their independence from the Ottoman Empire in the 19^th century and in the twentieth century have either come to blows or nearly come to blows over Cyprus and economic rights in the Aegean Sea. It is the latter issue which is threatening to again blow up and threaten the fragile peace in the Eastern Mediterranean as the Turks claim the right to natural gas deposits in disputed waters. The affair is complicated by chaos in Lebanon, the continued division of Cyprus and, perhaps most of all, the nature of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Turkish leader is reviving Ottoman-type dreams, and visions of economic prosperity, to distract his countrymen from his heavy-handed authoritarian rule. Erdogan has involved Turkey in the Libyan civil war, occupied a northern strip of Syria and is now confronting the old enemy Greece. The threat of an Aegean clash has governments in Both Europe and the Arab world worried. Germany has offered to mediate and both France and the United Arab Emirates have dispatched warships and fighter planes to the region. Erdogan keeps ploughing ahead.

So which Arab country will be the next to adopt the realpolitik lead of the United Arab Emirates and establish diplomatic relations with Israel? There are several in the running. Top of the list is the island kingdom of Bahrain who feels even more threatened by Iran than the UAE. The Bahraini king was among the first to send congratulatory messages to both the UAE and Israel and the capital Manama was used by American diplomats for the unveiling of the economic aspects of Jared Kushner’s peace plan. Oman is another possibility. The late Sultan Qaboos has regularly acted as a mediator between Arab and Israeli interests and hosted a visit to Muscat by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Another could be Sudan. The Sudanese leader Abdel Fattah Al-Barhan and Netanyahu recently met in Sudan, although relations have slightly cooled since then. Finally, there is Morocco which has had strong historic links with the Jewish community ever since the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.

Criticising the King of Thailand can land you in prison for up to 35 years

Criticising the King of Thailand can land you in prison for up to 35 years. In fact, the lese majeste law extends to every member of the royal family and even their pets. It is therefore surprising that thousands of Thais have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the monarchy. The seeds of this unrest were sown two years ago when the constitutional court banned the opposition Freedom Party, thus strengthening the increasingly corrupt administration of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha. The discontent has been fuelled in recent months by the coronavirus pandemic and spread to general dissatisfaction with the entire political establishment.  King Vajralongkota has not helped himself by slipping into the political gutter to support both the military and the prime minister. He is also disliked for his playboy lifestyle (four wives, three divorces and one separation) and gambling habit. The demonstrators—mindful of the law—are, however, attempting to be slightly circumspect. They are dressing up as Harry Potter wizards and carrying placards protesting against “He-who-cannot-be named.”

It is well known that the Japanese are obsessed with cleanliness, especially as regards to toilets. But this time they have taken it too far with the installation of see-through lavatories in several of Tokyo’s major parks. The authorities say that the glass walls provide an opportunity to check out the cleanliness of the WCs before stepping inside and allow them to ensure that the facility is empty. An interesting view, from all angles.

Stay Healthy,