Bolsonaro and Trump

Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump have been duly elected. The democratic procedures in their respective countries have been followed. At least, at a level that made their elections acceptable by their countries’ institutions. The point is that democracy is fine, but it can result in the election of fools. Bolsonaro and Trump are two daring fools. If you dare, if you know how to insult everybody else, you might get there. They have taught us that lesson. We should say thank you for that and then, make sure they are not re-elected.

A very destructive man

One of the deepest-rooted attributes of an authoritarian politician is to react with great violence when criticised. They get wild if they are attacked. And if they can, they will seek all means of revenge. The focus is on destroying the enemy, not just on beating him or her. And everyone who is not servile to the boss is a foe.

We have seen that today in Washington.

Dangerous radicalism in America

The American people are very divided when it comes to President Trump’s political performance. Such polarisation was especially visible yesterday, during the delivery of the State of the Union. The President’s style is very divisive. His policy is not about including as many segments of the American society as possible. It is about creating his own support base and keeping it loyal and militant. This approach leads to a profound radicalisation of politics. It’s a worrying option, because from radicalism to violence the distance is very short.

TV shows that create the conditions for demagogues to win

People who spend too much time watching soap TV programmes should not be allowed to vote in elections that go beyond the affairs of local administration. This is certainly a shocking statement and of course, I do not mean it. Everyone has and should keep the right to vote. That is what democracy is about. Every vote matter, be it the one coming from a high-level scientist or from a uneducated person.

My initial phrase aims just at opening the debate about the influence of superficial TV shows on people’s views of their country and the world. I am one of those who is convinced that the competition between TV channels is narrowing down people’s capacity to have a full and intelligent view of their surroundings and the world at large. TV shows are contributing to the development of a majority of voters that do not understand what is going on, do not care about the common good and, in the end, become vulnerable to the crude rhetoric of people such as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jair Bolsonaro or Rodrigo Duterte, to cite just a few of them.  

These politicians take advantage of such alienation. They are experts at proposing basic answers to complex issues. They know people can identify themselves with a simpler view of things.

The democratic combat is therefore about fighting banality and stupidity on TV. The younger generations are no longer as connected to traditional TV as the older ones. They prefer to make use of their cell phones and get their information through them. It is not always a good option, but in general is better than TV and their ridiculous treatment of the news and minor issues. But older age groups are still very dependent on what they get through the TV channels, in a classical way of accessing information and entertainment. They are the people that need to watch better TV programmes. They also deserve it, as an expression of respect. 

Big corporations should be under pressure to withdraw publicity that is linked to substandard TV shows. That is a way of approaching the matter.

Our own calamitous leader

In the EU, all the governing leaders with the exception of one would be horrified if the US gets Catastrophic Donald to the presidency. They see him as a major international risk, an unpredictable and unprepared leader at a time the world needs common sense and proven experience in international affairs.

The only one that states clearly he would prefer Catastrophic Donald to win is the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Órban. Naturally, because Mr Órban himself is an aspiring dictator and a deeply rooted xenophobic. He thinks he could get an ally in Washington. Also, he does not want to be the only grotesque leader in charge of a Western country.

But I hope he will continue alone in his retrograde corner of European politics. Political quarantine is the best way to deal with this type of fellows.

More about Obama in the UK debate

President Obama´s views about the Brexit are most welcome. He is very right when he says that the UK is stronger if it remains within the EU. Economically stronger and politically more influential. His words gave a tremendous boost to those who are against the exit. But the supporters of Remain have now to translate Obama´s words into their own way of speaking, give them a British accent and make use of them in a wise way. If not, those words will be lost and in some cases, they might even generate the opposite reaction. They should also be very clear in their minds that the current mood in Europe, and in particular in the UK, is not very positive about European matters. 

Populism and its ghosts

I realised I am speaking too often against populist leaders. Every time I am asked about the current European challenges, the word populism pops up in one or more of my sentences. Is it that I am seeing too many ghosts and witches around? Or is there a real reason to be worried, as we regard ahead and try to see how the European Union is going to respond to some of the very salient challenges it faces?

Leaders and demagogues

Just back from two days in Geneva. I was there to lead a workshop on peace building and crisis response and to deliver a lecture on responding to new types of conflicts. The audience was composed of mid-career professionals, both from the military and the civilian areas. They are in Geneva for an advance masters on peace studies but come from different corners of the world. Some of them will be, later in their professional life, important players in their own countries. They know that. And then, I shouldn't be surprised that several of the questions they raised to my attention were about leadership issues. The role of leaders, how to deal with rogue leaders, how to get leaders to lead.

Leadership in politics is indeed a very current topic. There are many that believe that leaders are not taking up their responsibilities. They are just chambers of resonance for the public opinion. And that´s not leadership. That´s demagogy. 

Politics is a very strange game

Berlusconi promised today to return 4 billion Euros of property taxes money to the Italian families, if he gets to power after the general elections that take place at the end of this month.  

This man is a consummate populist. This announcement is another demonstration of his immense capacity to offer fantasies and thin air as the solutions to the vast problems Italy is facing. You and I would think that the voters would see how implausible such a promise is. Be aware! The opinion polls are showing that Berlusconi’s party is getting stronger and stronger. Many citizens love to be deceived!