The last piece of this three-part series focuses on the mistreatment and detainment of immigrants in the United States. The ‘American Dream’ is founded on principles of providing opportunities for a better lifestyle, yet under the Trump administration, tens of thousands of migrants are detained and mistreated by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
After a rollercoaster four years in office followed by a controversial election defeat one might assume a 74-year-old Donald Trump would retire, taking his grievances with him. Ash Howlett does not quite see it like this. With increasing support from former staff, retention in grass roots support and freshmen Trumpites taking congressional office – Trump is here to stay.
As the US presidential race draws to a close, the author examines the global fascination with the conclusion of the election. With virtually all countries having a great deal of practical interest resting on the outcome of the election, some governments have heaped praise on the victor, Joe Biden, while from others the result has prompted mockery. Nevertheless, he highlights that the high level of interest in the outcome of the race demonstrates the US’s continued importance on the world stage.
In countries where COVID responses have been poor, does the blame lie with the resilience of the population to make sacrifices for the greater good? Or can the buck stop at the door of failed political leaders? In this article, Yuval explores the ineffective response to coronavirus in Israel. Is it the Isreali cultural archetype of the ‘freier’ that prevented policy from being effective? Or was it the fact that “Netanyahu’s half-hearted appeals to the vaunted sense of Israeli solidarity have failed to contain the communal defiance of the Coronavirus structures across Israel”. To the author, “It seems that as Israelis, our unifying impulse is only effective when the external enemies are our Arab neighbours, and not a microscopic pathogen.”?
Is there a narrow realm of political possibility that politicians must ensure their policies fit within for them to ensure electoral success? According to the author, ‘With ever-growing internet access, more and more people are exposing themselves to previously inaccessible information and under-represented points of view’. As a result, ‘the window of political possibility is forced wider and wider, until it becomes a redundant, gaping hole in the wall through which any policy can reasonably pass’.
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