American elections and a watchful world

The United States of America is the world’s only superpower and icon of democracy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms. It has served as a role model and actually expended considerable resources in furthering abroad democratic values and norms, so as to imbue the international order that it created with a moral and humanistic spirit. Liberal democracy as against authoritarianism was made the touchstone of international legitimacy.

However, democracy comes in many forms and shades. It is generally accepted as best of the worst systems of governance. A government by the people, of the people and for the people is the uncontested logic that confers a theoretical construct for legitimizing the exercise of power in a society or state. Politics is an art to acquire power. In a brutish sense, it is about power. But in a democracy, it through ballots not bullets.

Again, in a mundane sense, acquisition of power actually translates into lording over state resources which, euphemisms apart, usually provide the driving impulse for political struggles and in a democracy to either retain power or stage an upset. The multiparty political systems of course carry sophisticated content to influence votes on the basis of broad ideological agendas, charisma of politicians and group interests.

It is somewhat disturbing that these hard facts have come to demonstrate their propensity to render, at times, democratic political systems dysfunctional. The system of checks and balances ensuing from the sacred texts of constitutions and laws and regulations as well as state institutions sometimes are unable to cope with demands generated by profound socio-economic changes. For good or bad, the global society is undergoing deep structural changes — propelled by demography, technology and globalization.

The state of flux both political and economic is compounded by the COVID-19 crisis the world over. This has complicated governance and created economic and social convulsions on an unprecedented scale. Democratic world is in disarray. An election provides a hope for peaceful course correction and better management but it may not be a sufficient answer to the more basic problems facing societies, generally everywhere. It is therefore interesting to ponder over systems of governance, specifically democracy versus autocracy.

A lot of political literature is now being produced albeit with a strategic slant to discredit the Chinese political system paraphrased as one-man rule or a single party dictatorship. The arguments are framed in the old song and dance tunes of liberal order, a rule-based system, of human freedoms and liberties. Yet, the Chinese political system has been able to cope with societal changes and by adopting state/ corporate capitalism the Chinese economy is somewhat in better position to navigate the hazards of economic meltdowns evident in other places. In India, 70 plus years of democracy have produced a Hindu extremist dictatorship by the magic of the ballot and a divided polity and fast sinking economy. Hungary, Poland and some other countries are quasi dictatorships but with a democratic appearance.

In the aforementioned context, the US elections on November 3 assume great importance, not only for Americans but the world. Will democracy weathers the winds of change or succumb to personal and group interests and how would all this affect the US standing in the world? As for now the signs are a bit disconcerting. The American mainstream media worries that President Trump will not relinquish power even if he does not get popular or electoral votes. The elections can be rigged big time, especially the postal ballots.

President Trump is banking on the white middle class votes and alarmingly on the right-wing armed militia type organizations that could create a serious law and order problem. Democratic candidate Biden asked Trump during the presidential debate to denounce white terror and ask his Proud Boys to stand back and stand down. The president, however, asked the Proud Boys to stand by. He blamed violence in US cities on Antifa and left-wing forces. Racism and xenophobia in America have surged in recent months and polarized the society like never before. Not to forget that American society is heavily weaponized.

News is just in about the COVID-19 exposure of President Trump and the First Lady, and the president's hospitalization. This has created new uncertainties. Of course, we wish the president and Melania a quick and complete recovery. But this development will affect the election campaign, which in any case has been less than exhilarating. Trump supporters and many others would probably be counting on a sympathy vote in Trump's favor. In the meanwhile, there are reports of contingency plans that need to be put in place, in case the president is incapacitated for a while.

The tone and tenor of the presidential debate smacked of mudslinging of the type that routinely takes place in most third world, third rate democracies. It did no credit to political maturity of American democracy. If democracy were to unravel in the US, one cannot even dare to imagine what would happen elsewhere in the world. If Supreme Court and the justice system along with other state institutions lose their sublime rhythm to politicians, expediencies and class interests, there is no peaceful recourse left.

November 3 and what happens thereafter will be consequential for the US and the world. It is to be hoped that the dooms day pundits will be proven wrong and the US will emerge from the elections stronger and nobler in body and soul.

- Salman Bashir is a Pakistani diplomat who served as Foreign Secretary of Pakistan and as High Commissioner of Pakistan to India.

Twitter: @Salman_B_PK