The Future of Politics

Future of politics seems to lie in the dirty game of identity-politics, through world leaders effectively sensationalizing that it is a zero sum game where their own country will win only if all other countries lose, pitching one against other. The rise of ethnic nationalism will be an easy cause to blame for all what goes wrong in the country, fueled by promising greater development of inhabitants over immigrants over current woes of people across the world making nations more homogeneous. Gaining a political stranglehold will hence be easier, functioning on the Shakespearean principle – a mob has a heart not a mind, defeating the efforts in democracy and globalization.

The onset of globalization in the world was a welcome change, where countries began to see themselves as inhabitants of a global village, sharing and transferring more than just goods. Opening up borders however unveiled inequality of benefit distribution. Countries, once forerunners of globalization, developed resentment as they saw themselves to be superior to other countries and felt they were being discriminated against in the distribution of development, receiving a smaller share of the pie due to rise in number of stakeholders - the immigrants. The feeling of age old nationalism which had led to pre-globalization wars, saw new light and a few countries, driven by power hungry leaders, headed towards protectionism, anti-globalization and from collectivism to individualism spectrum of the Hofstede model of global culture - reversing what we, as a world, achieved so far.

Taking cues from the present, Trump won by majority, promising to make America great again, banning Muslim immigration and building a wall on Mexico border, communicating that all problems faced by Americans are due to immigrants, Brexit covers the hidden agenda of safeguarding national interests, ISIS based its growth on safeguarding members of their race and in China, Xi Jinping established that providing legal advantage to people with Chinese ancestry has helped the Chinese economy and multiple such events in Turkey, Egypt etc.

Taking cues from the impending danger, Marine Pen in could be French president based on her Frexit promise, safeguarding interests of original French, in India Modi led BJP government is showing signs of religion-based politics with appointing a saffron clad Hindu fanatic as CM of a state which has a considerable Muslim population and was able to get out of caste based politics and nepotism after decades.

Identity-politics is the scary future unless we, the shapers of global agenda, choose cosmopolity over extremism. 

~~ Palak Marwah, Sourabh Kishanpuria

For the first time, I have co-authored a blog post with a friend with a crisp 400 word limit. I would like to introduce my friend Sourabh - a current affairs' enthusiast, a national rank holder CA, CFA Level 3 and a Finance demi-god just begins to define him. It was wonderful co-authoring an article with someone so bright and aware of what all is happening around the world. Cheers to the first co-authored article on my blog, looking forward to more such articles! ☺