The election of Donald Trump as the next United States president marks a new American governance model marked by impunity and machismo. Democracy is increasingly taking a back seat. Hubris and might ascends with the rule of authoritarians and strongmen. True democracy is in intensive care in much of the world.
Not surprisingly, this trend has brought fear. An American strongman surrounded by super-wealthy henchmen worth hundreds of billions of dollars will rule the West for the near future. This oligarchy threatens to become all powerful, with corporations wielding as much power as departments of state.
Blacks, gays and other minorities will experience second-class citizenship as white supremacy re-ascends the slippery slope of power in both government and corporations in the US. Klansmen are grinning from ear to ear as they hammer away at the existing scaffolding.
Strongman
Mr. Trump is a strongman granted immunity while in office by a US Supreme Court that has swung far right with his appointees. Mr. Trump will also have the Senate and Congress behind him as US president. In many respects, his power will be effectively without limit. In fact, Mr. Trump may well be the most powerful US president in living memory.
Many people consider Mr. Trump to be a straight talker despite the bull he spews. In appearing believable, he inspires his white rural working-class followers. Many whites see Mr. Trump as protecting their interests. Indeed, he is no ordinary president: He is leader of a mass movement. And therein lies his power.
Dictator?
Will Mr. Trump rule as a dictator? Time will tell. Like any dictator, he will surround himself with yes men. In his new world, commentators have described his choices of cabinet as “misfits.” A fascist will appoint a jackass to prove he is all-powerful. However, that power is an Achilles’ heel.
The problem for Mr. Trump and the rest of humanity is that the last thing the world needs today is a US president advised by rookies. Being a commentator or TV personality does not make one an expert on defence, constitutional law or healthcare.
Billionaires can be admirable characters in business. Entrepreneurs create, innovate and employ millions of managers and workers. Business defines a country’s prosperity and economic power. However, running a nation of some 360 million souls is a far different ballgame than running a multibillion-dollar corporation.
The world is moving from a single US polarity to a world order of multiple power players. Europe is growing wary of its American ally. But the US is rightly concerned that Europe is not pulling its weight on collective defence through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The days of western dominance driven by US power are ending. Today, Russia, China, North Korea, Pakistan and India possess nuclear weapons along with the US, United Kingdom and France.
Meanwhile, China is the workshop of the world and may equal the US in gross domestic product by 2030. The yuan is slowly becoming a second reserve currency to the dollar. If the yuan succeeds in becoming a world reserve currency, the West could plunge into economic depression as investors buy trillions of yuan and Chinese-backed debt, abandoning dollar-backed securities as riskier debt.
Many threats
The world today requires skillful diplomacy and stealthy moves on the chessboard of international power — not the hubris and emotion of a colourful dictator and his acolytes.
The Mideast is at the edge of the precipice. Russia is threatening nuclear Armageddon in Europe. Africa is in economic turmoil. China is growing increasingly muscular in Asia and the Pacific.
Mr. Trump may feel he dominates events today, but if China decides to invade Taiwan, Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz, or Russia marches into Poland, then all bets are off.