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Bezos and Zuckerberg bow to the tycoon, expecting something in return. Amid fake news, bubbles and foreign influences, British political scientist Colin Crouch says in post-democracy conditions, the left must reassure the population about economic as well as physical security.
Not even 2 months have passed since the beginning of his second presidency, and Donald Trump is dismantling several institutions with executive orders, from public education to humanitarian aid abroad, while overturning the geopolitical doctrine of the last half century.
But how can we define the new political regime that Trump seems to want to build? "The Trump government is an elected oligarchy," says Colin Crouch, the British political scientist who coined the phrase 'post-democracy', in an interview with us.
According to him, Trump's regime "is a kind of democracy (more precisely, a post-democracy), since he won the elections. But it is also an oligarchy, because its inner circle is a group of billionaires who do not respect laws and regulations.
In the post-democracy theorized by Crouch, we have a system with democratic norms and institutions, but most of it is run by lobbies and big media.
"Of course, this is not the first time that a billionaire oligarchy has controlled a large part of American political life. Think of the oil barons, but also of many others. However, the role of big tech is different, as they control information and much of what 'ordinary' people know. They use this control to change the presentation of reality. This behavior threatens the heart of democracy, because democracy depends on accurate information and knowledge ," he says.
Some are wondering what Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg want from Trump in the long run? " They expect privileges from Trump. But at the same time, they are afraid that if they do not bow to him, all the privileges will be taken by their competitors. Trump promises huge tax cuts for the richest," the political scientist emphasizes.
Within the MAGA circle, there is a conflict between mega-billionaire Elon Musk and far-right ideologue Steve Bannon. “I don’t fully understand the fight between Bannon and Musk. Maybe it’s something personal. But Bannon represents a more traditional right, like Viktor Orbán in Hungary, religious conservative and perhaps racist. Whereas Musk is a right-wing anarchist ,” says Croch.
According to him, many Americans do not care about ideologies or the quality of democracy itself. But it must be remembered that Trump does not represent all Americans. Many Americans did not vote for him. The center-left, the Democrats, seem paralyzed in the face of a kind of nationalism, which works well electorally.
"We have big problems. The class and religious identities that once shaped political identity have weakened, while the society and economy that created them have changed. The void is being filled by nationalism, especially among people who see no possibility of an economically optimistic future. Another cause of the strengthening of nationalism is Islamic terrorism," explains Crouch.
Therefore, according to him, the center-left should rely on policies that can reassure the population regarding security, both economic and physical. "We need to rebuild former industrial areas, with new activities in those sectors that have a future. Mayors and local associations can play an important role, campaigning and proposing changes in this direction," he declares.
For a brief period, the internet seemed like a huge opportunity for democracy. But amid fake news and foreign influence, one wonders whether it can still be useful as a democratic tool.
“The Internet is a paradoxical tool. Of course, it creates opportunities for small groups that do not have resources and helps them organize and campaign. But it is gradually falling into the hands of the super-rich. However, it is important to continue campaigning and organizing using the Internet.
"Liberal democracy is stronger in many European countries than in the United States. An important question is: How do parties behave when they are in government? If they start changing constitutional rules, fighting democratic practices and regularly telling lies, then there are big problems for democracy and big social mobilizations are needed," the British professor thinks.
Everything is happening very quickly, even in the short term it is not easy to predict what will happen, and whether a future democratic government in America can repair the damage caused by MAGA.
"Trump has just begun to cause chaos and spread it everywhere. Who knows if and when it will end, and what kind of USA will remain, when he is out of the White House? Of course, in the future all American governments will expect us Europeans to pay for our own defense. And it will be better for us if we do so ," concludes the British political scientist./ Adapted from "Pamfleti" by "Il Foglio".
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