Fear in global politics?
campaign for his ‘racist’ fan base , did better with both Black and Hispanic Americans in the 2016 election than Romney in 2012 ( The Stream ). One could state that the merging of the ‘right’ and the ‘alt - right’, in the perception and fears of the ‘left’ is a subtle but potentially treacherous change, making the political landscape of themajor nations very divided; the assumption that everyone whowants to ‘ make America great again ’ wants to turn America into a white supremacist haven is simply unfounded, and this is a very real thought for many on the ‘left’ . The ‘if you’re not with us you’re against us’ mentality demonizes a large proportion of the electorate under an essentially self-perpetuating guise owing to the fear of civil liberties and democracy itself being eroded. Finally, it is very possible to argue that over the last century, our global response to conflict from has been in general, a concerted pro-globalization, multilateral approach, with groups such as the EU or ASEAN forming. These regional blocs generally aim to promote both prosperity through trade, and security, through this trade as well as organized peace initiatives. These were formed as a consequence of global conflict, post-WWII for example in the case of the EU, with the fears of these conflicts fresh in the minds of the countries that created them, and with the aim of preventing these types of atrocities occurring again. However, many cite these conflicts slipping out of living memory as a reason for the recent decline of globalization, with the positives, and the need for them, being forgotten by many. Peter Burian, the EU special representative to central Asia, recently stated at an International Relations conference in Kazakhstan that, in order to remedy this, both the causes and positives of globalization ought to be reiterated to the population. The benefits, such as free trade, and all the job opportunities that come with it, as well as easier lines of communication and the ability to help poorer countries in a sustainable fashion much more easily, all of these benefits need to be made clear. Usman Ahmed, PayPal’s Global Head of Public Policy, speaking alongside Burian , stated that ‘ Free trade is like going to heaven; everyone would like to go but no one wants to jump first. ’ One can say that, in this time of avarice and political Darwinism, the trust to ‘ jump first ’ has dissipated, and the only way to rebuild this trust between countries is through aforementioned regional blocs, or a ‘ Regional bloc mindset ’ from which comes the trust to trade freely, as well as the added physical security provided by mutual financial prosperity. Concepts such as multilateralism are in the DNA of an organization such as the EU, and just as they were created out of fear after conflict, there is fear now that with the rise of unilateralism and the ‘far right’ across Europe, thatthe EU could begin to decline rapidly. Its key principles, like freedom of movement, are those that are being questioned by the aforementioned ‘right - wing’ politicians and also protected to the point of collapse and division by the previously referred to ‘left - wing’ mindset. Burian states that decisions like Brexit have been taken out of national interest, as opposed to the multinational interest that previously existed around Europe, a clear sign that the fear of the ‘ other ’ or the ‘ untoward ’ has affected our global political landscape to such a great extent that our whole national outlook has changed, from outward-looking to inward-protecting. This – many feel – is dangerous and could potentially lead to a repeat of the conflict that saw these regional blocs being needed and formed in the first place. In conclusion, the marked impact fear has on all parts of the political spectrum is clear. Whichever side it operates on, the end result is usually division and economic and/or cultural vacuity. It is possible to argue, then, that, in order to combat this fear, a large global player ‘ jumping first ’ and being caught by the rest of the world could start to lead towards a more cooperative and conducive society. In a time where the politics of fear is practised so nonchalantly, global political generosity and trust may be the antidote.
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