(November 01-15, 2016)
USA
The highlight of the fortnight was Donald Trump’s astounding win against Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election. He claimed a thumping victory against all odds, polls, and projections, and delivered his victory speech at the Hilton Hotel in New York City on the night of November 8 to a cheering crowd of supporters. America is still reeling from shock and asking how it could elect a President who does not conform to rules, one who has had five bankruptcies, three wives and avoided paying taxes!!
It was an unexpected outcome and Donald Trump beat not only a stacked GOP primary field but also an even more formidable opponent in Hillary Clinton, who was consistently ahead of him in the polls and in a much stronger position on the electoral map. Added to this was the fact that Trump has been mired in scandals and gaffes throughout the election. More than a dozen women have accused him of sexual assault after a hot mic tape revealed him bragging about “grabbing” women; he has made imprecise insinuations connecting President Obama and Clinton to terrorist groups; he led a campaign built on wild inaccuracies and unclear to nonexistent policy proposals; and he built his campaign on divisive anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, garnering the support of white nationalists.
Despite his controversial rhetoric, Trump managed to strike a chord with the American people as an unorthodox candidate without a political background, selling his catch phrase to “Make America Great Again” amidst a call for a Southern border wall, a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants, and his strong opposition to trade deals, were among his other bombastic talking points. All eyes are now focused on Trump’s transition team and how Trump will seek to deliver on the promises he has made, would candidate Trump transform into a more sober and responsible President Trump by the time of his swearing on 20 Jan 2017.
Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Donald Trump on his election victory. Putin said, “Russia is ready and looks forward to restoring bilateral relations with the United States.” Putin also expressed confidence that the dialogue between Moscow and Washington, would be restored keeping in mind each other’s views, and would meet the interests of both Russia and the US.
According to the Russian Information Agency Novosti, the Russian leader noted in the message that he hopes to address some “burning issues that are currently on the international agenda, and search for effective responses to the challenges of the global security.” Putin also expressed confidence that “building a constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington, based on principles of equality, mutual respect and each other's positions, meets the interests of the peoples of our countries and of the entire international community. Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin also expressed hope that Trump’s victory in the presidential election will help pave the way for a more constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington. According to a statement issued by the Kremlin, US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first telephone call on Monday 14 November. The two leaders discussed Syria and agreed to improve and develop bilateral ties.
Apparently the two leaders agreed that they share a common view on “uniting efforts in the fight with the common enemy number one – international terrorism and extremism.” Putin and Trump paid special attention to the importance of establishing a stable mechanism for improving bilateral relations by developing trade and economic ties between the two countries and working toward "constructive cooperation," the Kremlin said. According to the Kremlin’s statement, Trump too is “very much looking forward to having a strong and enduring relationship with Russia and the people of Russia.”
Interestingly, 2017 also marks the 210th anniversary of the establishment of US-Russia diplomatic relations, and it would be interesting to watch if this might motivate them to move towards establishing “pragmatic, mutually beneficial cooperation that would satisfy the interests of both countries, promote stability and safety around the world.”
Europe
Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election seems to confirm the ascendance of conservative politics in other parts of the world. Trump’s victory appears to embolden right-wing forces in countries that are grappling with the downside of globalization. The impact has been most profound in Europe and it will be the continent to watch, as the crisis of the Eurozone and the waves of refugees from West Asia are provoking heated debates about national identity and immigration in much of Europe and bolstering conservative parties.
It is little wonder then that far-right leaders in Europe were amongst the first to congratulate Trump. The Dutch politician Geert Wilders who wants to shut down mosques in his country, ban the Quran and tax women for wearing the hijab, hailed Trump’s victory as a “patriotic spring” and tweeted “the people are taking their country back, so will we”. Matteo Salvini, the Italian far-right leader of the Northern League, tweeted, “Americans, thank you, thank you and thank you!”
According to reports compiled from various media sources, the first to go to polls in Europe in March 2017 is the Netherlands where Geert Wilder’s Party for Freedom is expected to come first or second, notwithstanding his inflammatory views. France will also see heated debates on cultural issues during presidential elections due in April-May next year, with the National Front’s Marine Le Pen making a bid for the presidency. Le Pen secured 6.4 million votes in 2012; she is expected to come first in the first round this time and her competitors are not ruling out her chances of an ultimate win.
The far-right has done well elsewhere too. Austria, which added 90,000 migrants in 2015 to its population of 8.6 million, has seen the Freedom Party make big strides. Its candidate Norbert Hofer, who says Islam has no place in Austria, lost the presidential elections in May by less than one percentage point but is due for a re-run on December 4, after a court upheld his party’s appeal about election irregularities. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban prefers an “illiberal democracy” and has firmly told Muslims they are not wanted in his country and has built a 100-mile long razor wire fence along the border with Serbia.
Germany is the other major country where the far right is gaining ground through a party called Alternative for Germany (AfD). Its leader Frauke Petry, who has emerged as Germany’s most talked-about leader said he wants to reverse Chancellor Angela Merkel’s migration and refugee policies. AfD seeks an end to EU’s internal open borders policy and opposes the “Islamification” of Germany. For a relatively new Party, the AfD is posing a serious challenge to Angela Merkel.
