A More Stable World?

As absurd as the notion might seem, we may be on the verge of a more stable world. Glen Pearson writes:

That violent brand of populism that introduced paroxysms of fear through the developed world has quietly been tamped down.  It will never go away – it’s an historical constant – and it will always be nipping at the heels of established democracies.  But its power to affect the masses has been kept in tenuous abeyance.  COVID has provided some breathing space for reassessment.

It's most apparent in the United States. But what is happening in the United States is also happening around the world:

Some European nations have been given a brief reprieve from the endless populist chaos.  Nevertheless, in places like India, Brazil, China, and, to a lesser extent, Britain, a burgeoning sense of nationalism and racism continues to push their citizens to the edge – a reality causing Freedom House International to claim that 2020 still sees democracy in decline and authoritarianism as a continual threat.

Yet, in numerous established democracies, a second chance seems to be emerging.  Fatigue with all the chaos and commensurate effects on economies is bringing on a growing tide of millions seeking not just stable, but better government.  In places like New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, and, yes, Canada, democracy has remained resilient, defying the efforts of crippling extreme right-wing chaos.  Even Germany and France have achieved a certain level of stability that many thought impossible a year ago.

We still don't know for sure whether or not Donald Trump will go down his golden toilet. But the evidence seems to suggest that's what's going to happen. Last week, Peggy Noonan -- Ronald Reagan's speechwriter -- wrote in the Wall Street Journal:

This is also the week that journalists and politicos in Washington began wondering about something they never expected to be thinking about this year.  They are wondering if November 3 won’t be a win for Joe Biden but a blowout, a landslide in a polarized country that doesn’t produce landslides anymore. 

Time will tell. But, if the political winds shift, there will be a lot of work to do:

For nations like Canada, a Democratic sweep in America will usher in a larger world of collaborative internationalism – an arena in which this country can hold its own.  The fact that Canadians kept their act together while living so close to the epicentre of democratic dysfunction proves not only that we still have great reserves of accountability and goodwill, but that we can also export them to a more open world.  It isn’t a world incapable of moving forward, but it must now decide it is time to do so.

We await the future. 

Image: knowledge@wharton -- University of Pennsylvania