There is in the world today a movement toward populist authoritarian governments. Our world of representative democratic governance is directly threatened by this movement.
It is hard to overstate the impact that this movement can have on our lives today.
About 80% of American voters think we are on the brink of a revolution [from a recent opinion poll]. Nearly 80% of Americans working full time jobs think they are one financial setback from homelessness [Indeed.com]. In a FB poll, 83% of Americans responded favorably to a suggestion of Class Warfare.
Most of the movement which installed trump is a result of the precariousness with which Americans view their financial future. And, that view is shared in many of the world's 'Democracies'.
Momentum toward any such revolution is helped by the continuing worsening trend toward income and wealth inequality.
Nothing seems to have changed since trump was elected. All rhetoric aside, the system has not helped middle class families improve their financial position.
REVOLUTION
So, what will a possible Revolution look like?
We should not expect armed conflict on the streets. But, we should expect a continuance of the tyranny and repression that trump has attempted to install.
If he is re-elected and the Republicans gain control over Congress, then we can expect a continued push to overthrow the rule of law and to substitute a despotic tyranny in its place. There is no doubt that trump will continue to attack institutions which support the rule of law instead of his tyrannical actions.
He will continue to appoint judges, Cabinet officers and whomever else he can who will do his bidding regardless of what the courts say.
Russia offers an object lesson of what can happen internally when the population is not satisfied with their lot. Here's what the PISM says about Russia:
'The Polish Institute of International Affairs presents the next issue of the PISM Bulletin: The Influence of the Domestic Situation on Russia’s Foreign Policy by Jakub Benedyczak. Apr 24, 2019
'The increasing dissatisfaction of the Russians due to the deteriorating socio-economic situation in their country has resulted in declining support for President Vladimir Putin and the government of Dmitry Medvedev. To strengthen their position, the authorities may be more inclined towards confrontational foreign policy, which corresponds to the great-power ambitions of Russian society. If so, the EU might expect more intensive actions aimed at weakening its unity, and for Poland specifically (indicated in the polls of the Russian public as one of their country’s greatest enemies) there could be a continuation of the campaign that disavows its “anti-Russian” foreign and historical policy.'
No comments:
Post a Comment