TWO big elections happened recently: the EU elections and the Indian general elections. In both electoral contests, the nationalist, “right wing extremist” parties emerged victorious.
In India, the Hindu BJP Party won a massive victory, giving Prime Minister Narenda Modi, a strong mandate for his second term. So strong was Modi’s victory that he had to reassure India’s sizeable Muslim population that the BJP will not do anything that will infringe their rights.
Over in Europe, Nationalist and Populist Parties from France, Italy, the UK and various others achieved major victories. Although the EU Elections offer relatively few political powers, it is a symbolic bellwether for the direction of European politics.
In both elections, the nationalist, right wing parties won, whereas centrist and leftist parties lost relatively speaking. Predictably, several people had a lot of negative things to say about the election results. There was, of course, the usual hysterics over the rising tide of fascism, as well as several complaints about the decline of democracy, liberalism and various other feel-good terms. Al Jazeera even printed a nice, little article entitled, “The Indian elite and the erosion of democracy.”
Politics and partisanship aside, what’s going on here proves that the populist energies that began in 2016 have not dissipated. They are still there, and they are still growing. If present trends continue, and it’s likely that they will, then they have the potential to radically alter the geopolitical landscape in the coming years.
Modi’s victory can be seen as India’s affirmation of its Hindu heritage and also an implicit rejection of modern, liberal thought. The BJP’s victory is also a sign that India is asserting its unique Hindu heritage, regardless of its multicultural characteristics.
As for the EU Elections, the results were a sign of things to come. Franch, Italy, Poland, Hungary and Greece are all trending towards increasing populism and nationalism. Assuming that the elected nationalist and populist leaders deliver on their promises, their rise to power has the potential to transform the EU from a secular, neo-liberal bloc into something completely different, and potentially at odds with the US political establishment.
Additionally, the results of the Indian and EU elections may also be interpreted as the turning of the elite-counter-elite cycle, where the existing elites of India and the EU faced off with new counter-elites, many of whom have their own ideas of how their countries should be run. Much like the results of our own midterm elections, new leaders are emerging in India and Europe, and in a sense they are a symptom of the changing times. Not only do they portend changing political realities, they also represent new demands from the populace.
And these trends are very likely to continue. Things are continuing to heat up in different parts of the world. It’s almost like there’s something beneath the political surface trying to claw itself out, and when it does, it’s going to change the world order. The 2020’s are going to be very interesting./PN
