Our unfamiliar World and the Need to Re-examine and Revise

For the first time that I can remember the world is not divided into clearly identifiable, opposing camps.

Until very recently, freedom loving democracies were seen to be pitted against dictatorships, communist regimes and intolerant theocracies. In such a world we had no difficulty in distinguishing between our allies and the enemy.

In the absence of a certain and predictable world, individually, as a group, or as a nation we need to re-examine, reconsider and redefine not merely the international order but also our own values, beliefs and institutions.

I’m not about to outline some smug theory  on how and why our world has and continues to change so unpredictably and rapidly.  Perhaps, it’s the old academic in me who suggests that making sense of what is happening calls for much more than a focus on the individuals and governments that feature in news reports. Simply put, I suggest that we need to rewrite our understanding of much that has helped us make sense of our world. The following are some of the questions that I feel need to be asked.

Are we really returning to a might is right international order? What should we make of politicians’ crude bullying of smaller nations and their leaders? Why are international leaders sounding like all muscle no brain gangster bosses? Doesn’t the obscene theatre of Palestinian prisoner and Israeli hostage exchanges appear to fall far short of what we used to call civilised behaviour?

Daily, we’re alerted to increasingly credulous and alarming executive orders by POTUS. Particularly galling is the rolling back of what were seen to be non controversial advancements in social justice. Should we really reconsider programs promoting jobs for the disabled because they allegedly contribute to the nation’s decline? Who would have thought that universal suffrage would be questioned?

There appears to be a reconsideration of the relationship between governments and those in need of financial or other assistance. In the past, democratic government had cut assistance to the needy, but never stated or even implied that those in need only had themselves to blame for their predicament and should not expect to remain a financial drain on the country. Considering the support given to Trump by fundamentalist Christians, could it be prosperity theology that is propelling or at least contributing to the unashamed public disdain for those perceived as ‘losers’.

Applied internationally, weaker nations are seen to be there for the taking. Such attitudes and behaviour used to be synonymous with non democratic countries such as Russia and China.

Yet unbelievably the US is now trumpeting such policies. And what’s more it is doing so not only alone but also in partnership with dictatorships.

Putin’s statements regarding the conquest of Ukraine don’t surprise as we expect no less from a former KGB agent who is comfortably entrenched as the Russian Dictator.

However, we simply cannot  grasp Trump’s statements regarding Greenland, Panama and Canada. We struggle to correlate the base threats being made by the leader of the free world. While we may have views about the morality, integrity and psychiatric stability of certain political leaders, how is it that democratic institutions and entrenched checks and balances cannot prevent the actions of their executive government?

The concept of democracy appears to be moving towards a dictatorship by the majority (of those who voted). Such a view is a recipe for injustice for unpopular minorities, especially when courts become reluctant to protect rights in the face of government action. It is downright frightening when the unprotected include for example those not identifying as male or female, those in need of abortion services, non-Christians and the various categories of being considered to be illegal migrants or non-citizens.

While the above mentioned changes tend to be presented as an ‘only in America’ aberration, we must not overlook the fact that the global rise of right wing politics brings with it similar attitudes and policies.

The notion of fair play has ensured that many western countries have orderly hand overs of power. Yet, it appears to be under challenge from a win at all costs approach which having no regard for losers, refuses to concede. Whatever happened to ‘It’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game’. Apparently, what really matters is what cards you hold. Can democracies survive in the absence of orderly transition of government?

The impartiality of courts of law and respect for judicial decisions remain strong in most democratic countries. Such has long been presented in contrast to courts that implement the will of an authoritarian government or leader.

What is it about US culture and population that facilitates highly politicised judicial appointments and a reluctance to accept the umpire’s decision? As I suggested earlier, we can’t just blame Trump.

The United Nations appears to be increasingly ignored and powerless to enforce its resolutions and the findings of its courts. Ukraine and the Gaza Strip are the most recent examples. Should or can the UN be reformed or replaced to prevent or stop such tragedies?

I was determined not to focus on changes in the US. However, the extraordinary developments in the US cannot be downplayed as the actions of the US impact on the rest of the world. The actions of the warring parties in the Ukrainian war are clearly affected by US policy. The same can also be said about Israel’s war with Palestinians.

It is a new world, even if we don’t quite know why and what the new world will eventually look like. What is certain is that we need to be careful not to understand and make assumptions about society, its values and its institution based on a world no longer here.

EARLIER BRIEFS

EARLIER BRIEFS

Straya Day

Some time in the next few weeks we will yet again debate the date on which we should celebrate Australia Day. I’m jumping in early with my tuppence worth.

An elderly man (the grandson of a European migrant, married to a Slovenian, who sponsored his wife’s parents to migrate to the United States) is seeking to become the President of the United States (a nation of immigrants) for a second time.  

As Old As Electricity

This photograph from circa late 19th or early 20th century is a reminder that in some areas we haven’t come that far in the past 120 years.