The best description of Trump’s relationship to autocrats belongs to historian Timothy Snyder, who observed, in April 2016, “It is not hard to see whyThe best description of Trump’s relationship to autocrats belongs to historian Timothy Snyder, who observed, in April 2016, “It is not hard to see why Trump might choose Putin as his fantasy friend. Putin is the real world version of the person Trump pretends to be on television.” Trump admired Putin’s grip on power, his 82 percent popularity rating, and praised him for being "a leader far more than our president [Obama] has been a leader." Most Americans in the age of Trump are not, like the subjects of a totalitarian regime, subjected to state terror. But even before the coronavirus, they were subjected to constant, sometimes debilitating anxiety. One way out of that anxiety is to relieve the mind of stress by accepting Trumpian reality. Another—and this too is an option often exercised by people living under totalitarianism—is to stop paying attention, disengage, and retreat to one’s private sphere. Both approaches are victories for Trump in his attack on politics....more
The herd mentality is powerful in international affairs. Leaders around the globe observe and mimic one another. They see where their peers are headinThe herd mentality is powerful in international affairs. Leaders around the globe observe and mimic one another. They see where their peers are heading, what they can get away with, and how they can augment and perpetuate their power. They walk in one another's footsteps, as Hitler did with Mussolini. That's how the herd moves in a fascist direction. Hitler once said: "I will tell you what has carried me to the position I have reached. Our political problems appeared complicated. The German people could make nothing of them. I, on the other hand, reduced them to the simplest terms. The masses realized this and followed me." Power ,as we know, is an addiction prone to abuse. History shows that we need to fight for democracy and freedom and no matter how many people are against it, democracy is still the most important thing we have....more
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