Rebirth of the democratic impulse

“Democracy dies in darkness”, reads The Washington Post’s slogan that started appearing along with its masthead in 2017 after the paper came under heavy fire from the new administration in Washington. Regardless of the post-truth nature of our very contested realities, the paper is now owned by a holding company established by Jeff Bezos, the founder and the CEO of Amazon, and the world’s richest man. So, there is more than one reason, why such a publication would attract criticism. The incumbent US President is also a billionaire after all and business rivalries are a known quantity. But let us come back to the slogan. It is the kind of truism that cannot be rebutted. Democracy thrives on transparency. Without transparency, there is little chance the true essence of democracy would survive in any society. What the publication does get wrong is the source of the darkness. The Western media was late in realising how dark the world had become. They got electoral setbacks in their own countries, Brexit in the UK and Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the US, and decided to finally look out of the window where they found darkness. But it was already there.

There are two critical reasons. First, the disillusionment of the voters. Consider democracy as a product. You need to pitch it to potential buyers. And you have been very lucky so far with a very loyal customer base for generations. But then your quality standards start faltering. Products are mislabeled and people often find repulsive things in the cans or jars of your product which should not be there. Do you think they would still stay loyal? Making choices takes a lot of energy. If every time you make a choice you do not get the customer satisfaction you are looking for, you give up or become rebellious with choices which make little sense to others. Second, the betrayal by your own kind — the countries you consider like-minded democracies and allies.

The US has been relatively lucky in this regard. American people find new ways to effect change. When the Bush administration could not be deterred from starting and continuing forever wars, they elected Obama to put an end to it. President Obama tried at the start, but the Iraq invasion had already unhinged the region. When he withdrew forces from there, the entire Arab world came crashing down through the so-called Arab Spring. Consequently, more wars. Gaddafi was killed. From Hosni Mubarak to Morsi to the current dispensation Egypt went through, another full cycle of revolt against authoritarianism, failed attempt to democratise and return to authoritarianism. Bloodshed elsewhere. When they got a chance, they found a man they thought could put an end to this all. As the Iran crisis and an unstable world test his resolve we still have to see if President Trump will stay the course or start a new war. So far, he has not started a new war.

In the UK too, popular resentment dates back to Tony Blairs’ days in office when he allowed his country to get sucked into the Iraq war vortex. His successor, David Cameron opened two Pandora boxes — the Scottish independence referendum and Brexit. While the UK has managed to come out of the former without much harm, the latter seems to have badly shaken the kingdom. We still have to see if the current leadership can bring an end to the crisis but there is no dearth of people telling us that if anyone can do this, it is the current government.

The second reason relates more to the prevailing gloom in the world. Donald Trump’s election and Brexit verdict might have come as a surprise to many but there were very serious undercurrents which we failed to notice. Genuine public resentment and disaffection. But before these two, there were signs that the RMS Democracy had already hit the iceberg. In Israel, with serious security challenges, Benjamin Netanyahu was constantly hardening his position. He even defied President Obama and despite his opposition to such an event, went to address the US Congress and struck at the root of the bipartisanship that ensures Israel’s support. And for what? Just to undermine the Iran nuclear deal. We were to learn later that this brinkmanship and aggression was to hide his own corruption. Textbook wag-the-dog move. In India too, a bitter, petty and vindictive impulse brought Narendra Modi into power. While his government started showing its true colours in the re-election campaign days, no amount of spin can obscure the fact that it is a fascist regime now.

When Israel went to the election in April this year, there was hope that Netanyahu’s rule might come to an end. This, one hoped, would have a domino effect on other democracies facing turbulence, especially in Europe where he has befriended some fringe elements, including anti-Semites. When the Israeli opposition failed to bring an end to his stint in power, it was felt that the world would be held hostage by corrupt populists for the foreseeable future. That to hide their own corruption or repression, these elements would start new wars without end. And Modi’s victory a month later lent credence to that impression.

However, in September Israel has shown us how to put an end to the creeping coup of authoritarianism, intolerance, and populism. These strongmen cannibalise their own allies to survive. This causes disaffection. These elements find a way to bring these autocrats on their knees. Of course, it takes time and a lot of effort but the fear of losing the democratic ethos and shared values can finally put an end to authoritarianism. We do not know if Netanyahu will survive the corruption trial and if he’s gone for good, but one thing is quite visible right now. The Israeli President is most certainly going to ask his key rival to try to form the government, removing Netanyahu from office for the first time in a decade.

Both the demand and the supply side of the equation can be fixed simultaneously. If the voter disillusionment is because of the failures of the old parties, new parties can be formed. Where there is a chance to salvage an old party, a new face or a new theme can reinvigorate the party’s image. When democratic forces are honest with themselves and can take stock of their mistakes, a path automatically presents itself.

As for The Washington Post and the western media’s concerns about Trump, they should know that they are just fighting an image, not a reality which is far more complex. This image emerged because of his divisive election campaign. But in the end, he is an accomplished businessman and an astute politician. He will try to sell what he thinks sells in the market. Change the demand, change the context and the image, and the supply will change too. And to that end, a democratic impulse just had a rebirth in Israel. Let’s see if it does have the desired domino effect.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2019.

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