ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE
Submitted by Dr. Binoy Kampmark
It was now the turn of other states to vent about, and at, the United States. The 2020 US presidential elections were coming down to a razor sharp wire. The Democrats were starting to feel confident in the swing states. Republicans and the Trump camp were mustering aggressive arguments on potential electoral fraud, lawyering up the heavies. The picture is increasingly ugly, and the view from political outsiders is a mix of concern laced with a touch of bemusement.
Various countries and organisations were weighing in on the US elections in a manner normally reserved for seedier regimes and states in ill repair. The International Crisis Group, in a report published just prior to the election, is all warning and woe. “The 2020 US presidential election presents risks not seen in recent history. It is conceivable that violence could erupt during voting or protracted ballot counts. Officials should take extra precautions; media and foreign leaders should avoid projecting a winner until the outcome is certain.”
The last line has a fabulously understated tone of irony, given the more than enthusiastic pronouncements previously made by US administrations on which spoiler should be recognised over another in the elections of other countries. Interfering in the elections of other states has been something of a Washington speciality, notably since the nascent days of the Cold War.
The Crisis Group believes that the US is in a terrible mess, a patient politically ill. “Beyond the implications for any Americans caught up in unrest, the election will be a harbinger of whether its institutions can guide the US safely through a period of socio-political change.”
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe has suggested that President Donald Trump risked causing harm to “public trust in democratic institutions” notably in prematurely claiming victory. Polish ambassador Urszula Gacek, as chief of the US OSCE’s mission, despaired at the rash of lawsuits already dotting the political landscape. Such cases were “changing the rules of the game while the game is still going on.” (For the untutored, this assessment is understandable; but any seasoned observer would have to accept that behind every US election lies an army of lawyers in brief wielding wait.) The body’s 30 observers and 11 election experts took note of “grave concerns” from US election officials that legitimacy was being questioned “due to the incumbent President’s repeated allegations of a fraudulent election process.”
A range of reactions have also been documented – anonymously, naturally – by Time. One “senior western official” was “shocked that Trump rejected a peaceful handover of power.” Another noted concern about impending “chaos”, adding that, “Everyone here is armed.” Diplomatic missions and embassies in Washington were preparing for something akin to an apocalypse. Some diplomats have wondered whether to arm themselves in the event of violent demonstrations engulfing the city.
The view from various US allies has also been one of caution tempered with fear. Over his tenure, Trump has been rather moody about the transatlantic alliance. “This is a very explosive situation,” warned the German defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer. “This is a situation that can lead to a constitutional crisis in the US, as experts are rightly saying. And it is something that must cause us great concern.”
EU foreign affairs minister Josep Borrell was more measured. “The American people have spoken. While we wait for the election result, the EU remains ready to continue building a strong transatlantic partnership, based on our shared values and history.”
Fans of US imperial power were also melancholy about the election outcome so far. In Britain, it was typically vicarious, a fear that Anglophone democratic standard bearing was in for some punishment. “My biggest worry,” speculated former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, “is that we forget that the US is the leading democracy in the world, and if we end up with a huge argument about process, and people talking about a stolen election left, right and centre, we are only going to put a smile on the face of people like President Putin and President Xi who will look at their own people and say ‘are you not pleased we have not got this mess?’ and that would be an absolute disaster.” In his assessment, Hunt espouses the conventional, error filled wisdom about the US being a democracy, when it would be best described as a republic with plutocratic credentials. But myths need nourishment and encouragement.
Thinking in the vein of the indispensable nature of US power, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, former UK ambassador to Washington, was very much of the school that the US had underperformed in turning inward. Trump had not fulfilled the remit given US leaders for generations. “I fear we will get more of the same or, even worse, an even worse, an even more unpredictable and inconsistent leader than in the first term.” A eunuch presidency in the making.
In Russia, some of the sharper comments could be found. Konstantin Korsachev, chair of the upper house Federation Council committee of foreign affairs, insisted that Russia benefitted “from any certainty in which losers won’t need to resort to [claims of] foreign interference. It’s time for America to return to the politics of sanity, in which case we will always support it.” The path to sanity may be rather more cluttered than Korsachev thinks.
Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com
With this elections, the well known phrase will be changed to: It’s not the people who vote that count, it’s for how long the vots are counted, who decide.
No,
Its not the people who vote that count, it’s who counts the votes as Comrade Stalin said.
it is now the North American Soviet Union
Your neuron feels too lonely today.
“Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.”
―
Joseph Stalin
ura tovarishch – Bacon
What i see is a bigger and dangerous theater… i’ll explain why.
Trump is… was, and it will be an asshole corporate asset, yes we know that, everybody knows that… and that’s an issue, an issue that the corporations and the U.S war machine cannot allow. It’s too obvious and very graphical for the masses, they need a complete liar stooge piece of shit in order to operate with impunity.
Every four years a new actor comes to the scene, now there’s a big chance that the creature of Biden may get elected… if that’s so… everyone on the earth is in grave danger. The modus operandi of the U.S needs of a perfect actor to trick the peasant that everything it’s okay, while pondering tons of fake money into the economic system in quick attractions to the masses and weaponry.
With Biden you’ll see the old tricks that Osama-Bin-Obama (laughs) did many times. Whatever military adventure he’ll do, he’ll deny it as soon as he can, propaganda from their totalitarian media will do the trick to drown the truth from the public.
My point is, the U.S regime will do another intent to operate with low profile, using third parties to fulfill their objectives, as the mask has broke and the monster been expose, the master needs a creature to fulfill his commandments.
There’s also the issue of the complete collapse of the economic system, which is being use to block the sun with one finger.
Your comment fits perfectly with the situations in Russia and Ukraine. While in Russia, the oligarchy pumps actor Putin like an artefact for the little peasant, in Ukraine the people said we know y’all actors for the oligarchy and will show you we know that very well.
Yes exactly, the Zio Democrats are 99% the same, the Zio Republicans are no more saintly than the Zio Dems – they both have, do and will use any and all dirty tricks to win. Yes It totally agree with you.
I would have liked to see Tulsi Gabbard win of all the candidates I saw for the Dems this year or Ron Paul for the republicans primary in 2008 and 2012, but Ron Paul had them stolen from them the same way it was stolen from Berin Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard.
However for vote rigging in this case the Dems have gone way past the red line as the Soros Rothchild etc., faction of the empire who own Biden Harris have a very serious disagreement, with Sheldon Adelson etc. (who own Trump and Pence) faction faction of the empire. In my opinion it is over having lots of new wars and world domination vs. consolidating the empire so part of it may last. Think of advisors for Napoleon telling him not to invade Russia.
Trump is… was, and it will be an asshole corporate asset, yes we know that, everybody knows that… and that’s an issue, an issue that the corporations and the U.S war machine cannot allow. It’s too obvious and very graphical for the masses, they need a complete liar stooge piece of shit in order to operate with impunity.
Yes 100% right!
Trump did not start any wars and he is a poor spokesman for the empire exposing them for what they are doing. This is what I liked about him.
For those unforgivable sins he must go.
With Kamill Harris as president for Soros and the Rothchilds, many new wars, massive death and destruction are certain. I just hope they won’t escalate into a global nuclear exchange.
If Trump does not keep quiet and bend over, I think Soros and the Rothchids etc. they may assassinate him and blame it on Iran to get a big war going and attack Iran ASAP. Maybe a car bomb and blame it on Iran and star big wars immediately to distract public attention makes lots of money and please Israel Soros Rothchilds etc.,
They could also pull out that good old stand by Novochuk and blame it on Russia attack Russia etc.
I expect a big crackdown once Kamil Harris is in. She was supposed to be appointed president until Tulsi Gabbard destroyed her in the debate by exposing her record and how evil Harris is. The dictator’s censorship etc. will go wild.
I expect Soros and the Rotchilds to bring in 40 million plus migrants to fix elections for the next 50 plus years. Move to ban guns massive censorship, perhaps have mass arrests and send people to re-education centers (whatever is the best thing to call them from focus group research). it will be a much more open dictatorship not just politically but economically as well. Expect the 1% to have over 95% or more of the wealth very soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cfp_IIdVnXs
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/94beb1531c2fa1f5557666a5069f8461c19c39e20349d91609833015405a1558.jpg
There are no democracies…. In a Democracy the “public servants” aren’t supposed to shut down economies, lock healthy people up and force the wearing of a device damaging to their health.