The internet has magnified the impact of any viewpoint and turned the advent of populism into a global phenomenon. Today’s instantaneous means of spreading influence has been mastered by the leader of the world’s most powerful nation, Donald J. Trump. He has also connected with other leaders who have taken on his nativistic mantle including America’s closest allies - the United Kingdom, (UK), and Israel. All three megalomaniac heads of these democratic countries have leveraged the disconnect that existed between those that govern and their electorate, capitalizing on their anger towards elites and their fear of those who are unlike them. As there is literally no method to their madness the demogogues sow the seeds of their own destruction. The fear is that they might take everyone else with them.
Trump who is intoxicated with the attention that his inane tweets engender, has been in constant contact with Israel’s Bibi Netanyahu and the United Kingdom’s new prime minister Boris Johnson. All three of them however have become victims of the electoral success of their simplistic solutions to complex problems. Trump faces the consequences of his incoherent ill thought out foreign policy actions, Boris Johnson is caught up in translating his catchy concept of leaving the European Union, (EU), into reality while not destroying his country’s economy in the process, while Bibi Netanyahu is trying to square the circle of solving the future of the Palestinian peoples by denying any possibility of their statehood.
All three of these modern day wunderkinder have no way of translating their nationalistic vote catching slogans into actuality. They have no real vision for their countries other than their knee jerk catchy solutions that lead nowhere and or have destructive consequences. Another feature they all share is that they are willing to smash convention, tradition and the unspoken rules of their democratic societies. All three have been labelled unashamed liars, (a UK Supreme Court is hearing a charge that Johnson lied to the Queen),while Bibi and Donald are in trouble with the law.
BORIS AND BREXIT
Boris Johnson, a former Mayor of London who was the face of the Brexit campaign is now saddled with executing what he supposedly had in mind when he advocated the UK leaving the EU. (Brexit is the acronym for Britain “exiting” the EU). He can no longer snipe from the sidelines as he has to square the circle he cracked open. On his elevation to the British Premiership he floated the line that he would leave Europe with no deal if they couldn’t get a “good deal”. Needless to say that admission created hysteria resulting in successful votes of no confidence with defections from his own party. His response, taking a leaf from the Trump playbook, was by breaking centuries of precedent, by shutting down Parliament so that he could halt discussion on the issue.
Nobody, least of all Boris, knows what would happen if there is no favorable accommodations when the break with Europe comes into effect on October 31. There is currently talk of stockpiling of certain necessities including medications as trade will grind to a halt. Already London which was the European financial capitol has witnessed a drain of those very institutions that have given status, clout and finance. Boris leaving the EU without agreements that would dampen the economic impact could result in Scotland succeeding from the UK. The Scots voted against Brexit. The nation recently had a referendum to become independent from the UK which was narrowly defeated. It showed widespread support for standing alone, forty - five percent wanting to do what Boris wants to do with Europe.
The biggest problem for Boris has to be the opposition of the Irish to Brexit. Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK and Southern Ireland which is independent had an open border as they were both members of the EU. If the UK exits without a deal the bizarre situation could come about with a border between two states with all that implies - politically, diplomatically, customs control not to mention the free flow of workers, family and friends across the border. The Catholics in Northern Ireland fought a long war to join their brethren in the independent Southern Irish Republic. The carnage was only halted in the late 1990’s. The revolutionary army of the Irish Republican Army, (IRA), only in 2005 formerly announced its armed fight against the UK. So Boris’s ill thought out desire could open a massive can of worms.
In spite of all the UK Government problems the EU officials have said that they are not extending the Brexit date and are more than narked at the British destructive behavior. Boris stormed out of a meeting in Luxembourg because the crowd booed him.
With parliament prorogued, Johnson without a majority, combating court challenges and a strong faction in favor of another referendum at least giving the electorate a choice as to what Brexit might mean to them, nobody knows how this going to end, least of all,Trump’s soulmate, populist Boris Johnson.
If it is any consolation Trump has reassured Johnson, without any details, that America trade with the Brexit UK will more than make up for their losses out of the EU. However dynamo Donald, like everything else he tweets on, is not defined,
ISRAEL’S BIBI
Bibi and Donald are the closest that heads of nation states have come to being a mutual admiration society. However the American educated Israeli is far too bright not to be the fawner in chief of Trump naming this that and the other after him. The long serving Premier of America’s closest ally has enough insight into his own vanity to realize how important it is to a megalomaniac to be the center of attraction and that is where he has allowed the real estate developer to be. The two populist leaders share many situations both being the subject of corruption charges and both exquisitely gearing policy to their own personal survival and needs.
Netanyahu in the ten years he has been Premier has not attempted to resolve the burning issue relating to the creation of a two state solution. Rather he has exacerbated the tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians in an attempt to create fear and mobilize right wing support. He has of course been helped by the terrorism of Hamas but at the end of the day he is making no attempt to keep Israel out of permanent war state. As a desperate last minute election ploy he stated that if he won the election he would occupy the West Bank. That would mean incorporating the Palestinian territory into the Israeli State which even his supporters believe he would never do. Added to his divisive racist activities he has pandered to the right by trying to relegate Israeli Arabs to second class status. Guess what he also accused them of voter fraud in the last election where he failed to create a government. Like Trump this secularist hypocrite has pandered to the religious right to maintain power and has put down his failure to gain a majority in the recent election as a result of media bias.
In short Bibi Netanyahu has no end game to secure a peaceful Israel.
As this is being written his duplicity may finally be meeting its come uppance. Once again he has failed to persuade enough of the electorate to support him and his allies to allow him to continue his Premiership. His racism has mobilized the Arab vote who polled in far higher numbers than in the previous election. Like Trump he needs the cover of being the country’s leader to shield him from the law. His court dates are scheduled for early October. He had hoped that a new Knesset under his administration would grant him immunity from prosecution.
The Donald has done anything and everything to assist Netanyahu to retain his control over Israel. However, true to fashion he has not contacted the outgoing Israeli Premier to commiserate with him. Bibi will be watching from the sidelines as his former best friend sells him out on Iran.
DONALD J. TRUMP - RESIGNED AS LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD.
The American President has had a more spectacular backlash than those of Boris and Bibi. (The former no longer has a governing majority while it would take a miracle to see the latter as Prime Minister of Israel again). Trump has splintered the party that put him in power, having lost the Republican suburban white women and youth which translated into a 46 seat loss in the House of Representatives elections a few months ago. It will only be evident next November whether the Hispanics will mobilize against him as a result of his racist smears of the Latinos. He is also facing an octopus like series of litigations and scandals which sooner or later will result in the shattering of his narrative of being a rich and non corrupt leader of the people.
Donald J. Trump has to be Plato’s original populist. What makes his behavior most far reaching is that he is President of the most powerful country in the world. He reigns over a post second WWII planet where America has been, albeit imperfect, the arbiter of morality and the promotor of human rights and civil liberty.Trump has favored dictators and countries that suit his personal business connections, promoted divisiveness and is hell bent in unravelling the world order. His tweeting contradictory one liners have sown havoc. For purposes of this piece Jay H. Ell will choose just one crisis that illustrates his lack of any clear policy on anything - the alleged Iranian bombing of Saudi oil refineries.
Trump’s irrationality has slowly but surely risked a major Middle East war. He started off by unilaterally pulling out of the nuclear deal between Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council and China. He trashed the nuclear deal because it didn’t include ballistic missiles and introduced crippling sanctions on the Iranians. What is more he declared war on any company that did business with Iran threatening them with sanctions.
He has backed the Saudis up the ying yang whom he had told his adoring fans that “he loved because they bought properties from him paying tens of millions of dollars". He ignored the murderous behavior of the new de facto leader Mohammed Bin Salman, backed him in his genocidal war in Yemen, (which is a proxy war against Iran) and armed the Saudis to the teeth. In fact all these actions have been bilaterally condemned by Congress. Trump has vetoed five pieces of legislation four of them involve the Kingdom of Saud.
Lately he has floated two totally contradictory lines on Iran who have been previously involved in provocative acts on the high seas. In the one instance he is “locked and loaded” implying that he is ready to start a shooting war and on the other he is prepared to meet President Rouhani without any preconditions. The hardliner Iran establishment, whose psychodynamics the bankrupt New York real estate dealer doesn’t quite understand, responded that they didn’t want to meet with Trump and then promptly knocked half of the Trump ally Saudi Arabia’s oil production thereby pushing up the price of oil by fifteen percent. The US Commander in Chief didn’t know what to do without consulting with the Saudis other then issue more sanctions.
In short Trump is incompetent to deal with the chaos he has created in the Middle East. More tellingly it has becoming more and more clear that The Donald has a relationship with Russia and Saudi Arabia that he would prefer not to share with “We The People”. It is also obvious that his tax returns may tell some of the story…..
Jay H. Ell sticks to the question his most recent blog asks, “Will Trump Last Till 2020?”.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
There is every hope that the checks and balances in the democracies might halt the destructive ignorant and totalitarian behavior of their elected populist leaders. However, don’t hold your breath as these three characters, Boris, Bibi and Donald have not hesitated to shatter every norm that has been the basis of their institutions and governmental system. They might do anything to retain power.
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