Donald Trump has been elected President and nothing has happened.
The World is still turning. The sun is still shining. Everything seems in order. His adversaries want you to know about the attacks on Muslims, African-Americans and Hispanics. His supporters want you to know about the Dow Jones record high standing, the phone call of Vladimir Putin of Russia, vowing to improve diplomatic relations, the peace offering by Bashar al-Assad. (What they don´t want you to know, or even do not know themselves, is, that Putins press release had the provision of “non-interference” in the others inner business, so, being left alone with his authoritarian strongman politics, silencing all press and opposition. And that Syrias peace offering has the provision of accepting Bashar al-Assad as the Syrian President. Any President could have reached this offers if he was willing to accept the provisions.)
Donald Trump has shocked many people during his campaign. Memories of former populist authoritarians, including Adolf Hitler, were awoken by his loud, excluding, oftentimes xenophobic manners. A lot of these commentators are in fear of a US strongman government.
There are some parallels in the worlds overall situation. The largest global economic crisis since 1929 was the world financial crisis of 2008. The rise of other populist far-right and far-left politicians. Blaming the problems of American society on foreigners and religious minorities. The mongering of conspiracy theories.
I personally do not believe Donald Trump to be fascist. He has no ideology. Most of his campaign promises seem to enrich only him and his family. Abolishing the estate tax so his children can inherit without paying vast amount of taxes. Lower taxes for real estate owners and developers. Lower income taxes majorly benefiting the highest tax brackets. Stop free trade agreements, so he has no international competition. Some of his proposals are misguided economic plans, dismissed by most economists, comparable to what George H. W. Bush once called “Vodoo economics”. And some seem to come from a nationalist, ethno-centrist interest of his, even though I would not even call him a racist.
Is this a good thing? So many people remembering the rise of the Third Reich? We´ve seen comparisons like this with many leaders. Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey is currently busy arresting all opposition politicians and heads of regime criticizing media. Vladimir Putin all but abolished democracy in Russia, cracking down on independent media and pollsters, killing opposition politicians. Victor Orban of Hungary built his power on Anti-Semitism. The far-right nationalist-conservatice Polish government wanted to pass a constitutional amendment reigning in free-spech.
But somehow, we do not act. The EU is still negotiating with Turkey about membership. Poland and Hungary are already members, and there is no interest of World leaders to interfere. One might argue that these countries are to small to be of concern for the World. One would forget Russia if one did so however. There was no interference, no sanctions until Russia invaded the Krim and parts of Eastern Ukraine. Are we to careful? To anxious and fearful? Do we try to appease the new authoritarian strongmen, as Neville Chamberlain did in 1938?
We all learned what happened in Germany. We all see what is happening now. But we repeat the same mistakes, over and over again.
