By: Aditya Vashisht
Former US President Donald Trump has come face-to-face with an attempt on his life. During a campaign rally in rural Pennsylvania, a bullet grazed his right ear, creating panic all around. Fortunately, it averted what would surely have been a fatal attack, which would have given rise to intense chaos and would have generated ripples across the world. The attack has been unanimously condemned by leaders around the world.
While President Trump is out of danger and looks set to continue his campaign with more intensity, not to mention that the tragic incident might further rejuvenate his campaign, this event appears to be very much an expression of the cleavage which is increasingly gripping democracies of the West. Political rhetoric seems to reach new heights along with the political atmosphere which is becoming incendiary day by day. Threats, loud narratives, attacks on politicians and anger are becoming visible among the general public of these nations.
This cleavage has given extremists from the spectrum of the left as well as the right a political space which they are poised to exploit for their own benefit. The ascension of the far-right and the far-left means a radical shift in policies of the governments, which are automatically going to increase socio-political tensions. The recently held French parliamentary elections have aptly shown the trend of extremists becoming popular.
The far-right and the far-left have gained a hefty share of the popular vote, though the outcome doesn’t translate as outright majority to either of the two. Many are praising the wisdom of French politicians and the French public from preventing the far-right bloc led by National Rally (RN) from gaining a majority but they cannot choose to ignore that extremists from both the sides have become mainstream parties who command significant political space and have striking agendas of their own, which seek to shake the country by the neck and give it an appearance suited to their own tastes.
Even in the US too, both the mainstream parties are facing with the prospect of their identity being stripped of complexities and becoming a simple and easy identifiable term. The Republicans are adopting the right-wing identity and are called ‘fascists’ by their opponents, the Democrats, who have tilted towards the left and are themselves labeled as ‘radical left’ or ‘wokes’. The US Presidential elections of 2024 have also adopted a plethora of identities. It has become a fight between the right and the left, between conservatives and liberals, between traditionalists and progressives, between nationalists and globalists and even between the god-loving and godless! The Republicans are cherishing values of god, religion and country which clash with the progressivism of Democrats whose leaders are actively trying to change US on a multiple scales. Veritably, the divide among the electorate has adopted ideological, cultural, religious and racial overtones which are immensely affecting the socio-political fabric of the United States.
It must be mentioned that the ascension of the liberal elite to power has contributed a lot to the rise of the current situation. Throughout the western world, the liberal class follows uniformity in its policies related to the cultural sphere which are characterized by policies of unregulated immigration, strict enforcement of racial diversity and inclusivity and promotion of diverse notions of gender and sexual orientation. Many perceive them as deliberate attempts to upend traditional norms and to radically alter the character and essence of their nations.
Moreover, the hypocritical policies being pursued by the US-led Western bloc with regards to the Russia-Ukraine war has directly impacted pockets of the general electorate. Prominent politicians like French President Macron talking about sending troops to Ukraine and attempts by other politicians to drum up support for a war from which the Western public doesn’t seem to benefit has added fuel to the fire. Throughout the public, a general sense of apathy and an understanding that the politicians are trying to use them as cannon fodder is taking hold which have led the public to either develop aloofness or turn towards extremists in whose promises of radical change they find solace. Those who feel their sense of normal upending join either the nationalist wing or the progressive wing. Such a division has veritably shaken the space for centrists politicians who promise to govern on the basis of the issues which they tackle.
The rise of extremism seeks to reduce flexibility in policymaking which in turn generates intense turbulence. At a time when the global political scenario is witnessing cleavage between the US-led Western bloc on one side and those who oppose them (ex- Russia) the rise of extremism in western democracies show an ominous sign. A house divided among itself cannot counter its opponents. Domestic disturbances are bound to translate globally which will add chaos and weakness at a time when the Western nations are prone to enter into a major conflict.
To say, political assassinations and fanaticism are not novel events in Western politics. From attempted assassinations of Napoleon III and Theodore Roosevelt to rise of Nazism and Communism, the West has seen it all and is still grappling with these things today. But the people are again dividing themselves, apparently justifiably, for values they hold dear to themselves. While what which they stand for may be true in their eyes, the cost of pursuing them is high and potentially deadly. One thing which stands out is that the world is facing turbulent times. Only time shall give the assessment of the history which is being created at present.
The writer is a Freelance Journalist based in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
