En tu idioma / In your own language

Eduardo del Buey
Foto: Afp
La Jornada Maya

Martes 3 de enero, 2017

The French say the more things change, the more they remain the same. The transition from 2016 to 2017 seems to follow this adage well.

During the year that was the liberal consensus of the post-cold-war was replaced by a resurgence of populism and authoritarianism in many parts of the world.

The elections in the United States underscored the fever pitch of fervor against the status quo, and opened up new and, at times, frightening political currents.

Donald Trump continues to preach intolerance and a kind of macho strength reminiscent of 1930’s Europe. “Make America Great Again”, his sales pitch, is seen by many as code to reduce or eliminate all of the progress US society has made since the sixties. His choice of cabinet ministers underscores this message amply. The Trans Pacific Partnership seems dead in the water, millions of Americans stand to lose their health care, and millions of undocumented people stand to be deported from the United States.

In Europe, BREXIT has been the principle example of this movement. The jury is out as to whether BREXIT will be positive or negative for the Brits, but it threatens to divide the United Kingdom as Scotland insists on remaining part of Europe while the rest of the United Kingdom breaks away.

Europeans have been struggling with the huge influx of migrant refugees from war torn countries of the Middle East and Africa. Many, if not most, are Muslim. In today’s post 9/11 world, anti-Muslim sentiment is strong, and appeals to racist exclusionary policies are echoing in these societies in which immigration and multiculturalism are alien concepts.

The situation in the Middle East is tenuous.

The two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is further away than ever. Settlements continue to be built, the Palestinians remain deeply divided, and neither side can propose a way forward.

The wars in Syria and Yemen continue unabated, as regional and international powers continue their proxy wars in these unfortunate states, with hundreds of thousands of deaths and casualties.

Terrorism continues to haunt us all, as nihilists, especially Muslim adherents to Da’esh and Al Qaeda continue to bring death and suffering not only to the West, but also to Muslims around the world. Their definition of apostasy puts targets on the backs of tens of millions of their co-religionists – a fact ignored by many in the West.

Russia and the incoming Trump administration seem to be developing a love-hate relationship, love on the “bromance” between Trump and Putin during the US election campaign, hate in view of recent statements by both on building up nuclear arsenals and increasing their military might. Trump seems to want to emulate Putin’s strong-man approach to leadership, and continues to attack the constitutional restraints on presidential power even before he assumes office.

Here in Mexico, people continue to speculate on the impact Trump will have on their economy and society. The peso serves as a perfect global barometer of the impact of Trump’s tweets, and its fall is seen by many as a sign of weakness. While this is not necessarily true, it is part of the Mexican mindset. Mexicans worry about the impact that mass deportations of undocumented Mexicans from the US will have on their economy and social structures, and the government will have to come up with strategies to integrate deportees into the national economy and avoid an uptick of criminal violence due to un- or under-employment and the frustration this can create.

The future of free trade is on the edge, as governments everywhere attempt to decipher Trump’s intentions, as well as the objectives of his incoming administration of billionaires. The Republican Congress will have to decide whether to follow Trump or their traditional Republican ideals. The former could lead to the demise of the party over the longer term, while the latter could lead to a vicious struggle for power in Washington given Trump’s visceral and spontaneous reactions.

The year and the uncertainty it brings has created a certain amount of angst and has left us wondering where do we go from here.

The coming year will not be much better. Uncertainty will continue to feed anxiety, instability will be the order of the day, and rising demagogues will continue to feed off of the fears of people everywhere.

Technology may help fuel the angst, with greater numbers of people moving from trusting truth to believing the fables of demagogues.

A negative assessment to be sure, but such is the state of the world as the year begins.

[i]Mérida, Yucatán[/i]
[b][email protected][/b]