The cost of power

While the United States was grappling with Covid-19 and China, the gruesome lynching of 46-year-old African-American George Floyd occurred. A sad story was to unfold when Floyd bought a pack of cigarettes and gave $20 to a grocery store employee, who later reported it to the local police claiming the $20 bill was counterfeit. Minutes later, police arrived and Floyd was violently arrested by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, who placed his knee on his neck. Floyd’s pleading with “I can’t breathe” and also begging for his mother failed to draw mercy from the callous white policemen. This cruelty went on for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and this man of lesser fortune breathed his last.

The brutal killing triggered demonstrations and protests in the US, and a curfew was imposed in cities across the country. Violent demonstrations around the White House led security staff to evacuate President Donald Trump to an underground bunker for his safety. The protests that began in the Minneapolis on May 26 spread to the rest of US and then to Europe, Africa and elsewhere. Protests with the thematic tagline “Black Lives Matter” resulted in riots, looting and street skirmishes. Due to mass unrest in more than 24 American cities, nearly 20,000 troops were called in to assist state administrations. The Trump administration seems to be in hot waters for taking a ‘hard-line stance’ while dealing with the crisis.

Blackman prejudice or racism dates back to days before the first American Civil War (1861-1865) when the indigenous American population was butchered by white European settlers and slaves were brought in from Africa and brutally discriminated against. From then on, incidents of violent racism against black Americans by whites has continued. Blacks constitute 12.5% of the US population (Hispanic and Asian residents comprise 18.3% and 5.9%, respectively). Despite constitutional guarantees for equal rights, blacks are a part of the country’s marginalised communities. Their average income is far less than that of white Americans and they also remain underrepresented in education and job market. The colour of their skin holds them back in most spheres of American life.

Recent times have exposed the impregnable US and if it continues to trail the same path, it is likely to grow less and less invincible. There are three factors that have exposed America’s vulnerabilities: China, Covid-19 and blatant racism. Its competition with China over a host of issues has placed China at an advantageous position. While China has played its cards wisely and positively, the US has lost a measure of its international influence. Its handling of Covid-19 too exposed its incapacity to deal with the pandemic. The US was not only required to deal effectively with the pandemic, but also as a global power rendering help to nations lacking healthcare infrastructure to deal with the coronavirus.

While the first two factors relate to global politics and capacity, the third factor, blatant racism has not only hurt US values of liberty, equality and freedom of speech, but has also harmed its democratic credentials. President Trump was routinely impulsive in his response to the protestors. Instead of calming down the justified emotions, he chose to stir acrimony by threatening to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act that allows the use of active duty troops against protestors on American soil. This, in my opinion, needs serious introspection. Saner elements in the US need to rise to the occasion if they wish to save and live with the “American Dream”. The American democratic edifice and values remain endangered if the US does not come to terms with bigotry, and rid itself of racism.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 10^th, 2020.

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