Is political polarization in America mainly the result of structural changes in society?
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Political tension between the two big parties may be contributing to the decline of the US. What is the main cause of political polarization in America? Vote and invite others interested in security and US politics to join the debate
Prof. Peter Trubowitz is the Director of the United States Cenre at the LSE. His research interest include American party politics and elections, US grand strategy and foreign policy, as well as Sino-American relations
Political polarization in America: Republicans vs Democrats
The already large, and growing gap between Republicans and Democrats has become a distinct characteristic of US politics. The tension between liberals and conservatives is not a new phenomenon and is to some extent the result of the majoritarian bipartisan US political system. However, several indicators show tha party polarization has been growing since the 1980s and that the ideological gap has widened more than ever over the last few years. Republicans are shifting to the right and Democrats to the Left.
Many political analysts argue that this increased polarization can be detrimental for the US, not only at the domestic, but also at the international level. Polarized politics may be contributing to the demise of the US hegemony in the world. Historically, moderate Republicans and Democrats have worked as a "bipartisan center", forging alliances and creating political dynamics of concessions and compromise. This was particularly important in the area of foreign policy and during the Second World War and Cold War. However, after the disintegration of the USSR the incentive to collaborate across party lines seem to have largely decreased. Unilateralism has become common and increased the risk of frustration and u-turns in politics.
If the US' ability to act on a coherent long-term foreign policy strategy is undermined by political polarization, then American attempts to enhance global security may be compromised. US interests in countering terrorist threats, establishing cyber security, and developing a coordinated response to global threats depend on the ability to work with long term strategic partners and enact policies which will not be susceptible to overhaul after each electoral cycle. Deadlock between the arms of government can also inhibit the US' ability to act decisively and to succeed in tackling global threats where new approaches are needed. Is inconsistent behaviour at the international level an inevitable consequence of increasingly partisan politics?
Causes of political polarization
Several potential causes have been suggested for this phenomenon. Firstly, as mentioned above, the absence of a strong external threat can reduce the incentive to collaborate across party boundaries. If this is the case probably the rise of China may have the reverse effect in US party politics in the coming years. After the Crimea, East Ukraine and Syria Crises Russia is once more emerging as an external threat for the West. However, there are no signs that Vladimir Putin's foreign policy has made Democrats and Republicans unite on a common stance towards foreign policy yet.
Secondly, it has been argued that polarization was fuelled by the assertive unilateralism of the Bush Jr. administration. According to this argument, a small group of neo-conservatives, with the help of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, managed to drastically change US policy agenda, in particular their foreign policy. This departure from the "usual practices" may have triggered much frustration in the liberal camp and set into motion the current dynamics of confrontation and ideological polarization. The dire 2016 Presidential Elections campaign between Trump and Clinton has contributed to fuel these tensions.
Thirdly, structural changes in US society have also been suggested as a plausible explanation. There seems to be a strong correlation between income inequality (as measured by the Gini index) and party polarization. This argument suggests that the growing socio-economic gap between the richest and poorest in US society may also be reflected in the actions of political representatives. Moreover, the return of regional divides that the US is experiencing today makes it more difficult to sustain a centrist coalition.
Emerging questions: What do you think is the main cause for the growing political polarization in America? Is polarization that dangerous for international collective security? Who is going to play the role the US has been playing in the international arena over the last few decades?
Recommended readings:
- Theriaulta, M. and David W. Rohdea (October 2011) "The Gingrich Senators and Party Polarization in the U.S. Senate" in The Journal of Politics, Vol. 73:4 pp. 1011-1024
- Trubowitz, Peter L. and Charles A. Kupchan (Fall 2007) “The demise of liberal internationalism in the United States” in International Security, Vol. 32:2, pp. 7-10 and 31-39.
- Pew Research Center (2016) Political Polarization (online articles about political polarization in the USA)
Watch these videos with the political columnist for Time magazine Joe Klein, and Columbia University Professor Peter T. Coleman:
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24 xp
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Mind Reading Technologies and Tongues - Governments from around the world have been using mind reading technologies that can read your mind. They use the same technologies that God would use to talk to you. They use Remote Neural Monitoring (RNM) against us. Look it up online. Satellites delivered to space by Space X founder Elon Musk, The Russian Federation, The Federal Government and NASA. Comparable to cellular satellites. It’s a high bandwidth U or Z linking A signal that listens to your brains wavelength and reads your conscience. Activating up to 40-90% of your brain. Many define it as a form of telepathy. People who can talk back and hear the satellite with their mind talk tongues. They've had this technology for years now. Not informing the world to stay ahead of our civilization. To be as intelligent as the combined world they record our thoughts. They steal our ideas, murder, blackmail and use it as a tool for war. You sometimes get a headache when a mind reading machine is on you. Suspected users of mind reading technologies are as follow: Vladimir Putin, Donald J. Trump, Xi Jinping, some in DARPA, Chancellor Merkel, Justin Trudeau and Benjamin Netanyahu. Were to hold are governments accountable. A Ravenous wolf in sheep’s clothing - An alien spirit reborn as a Human being. They use A.I. and walk the Earth. An alien had shot an asteroid at us. Fire and brimstone to reborn Earth. He was working with the devil an alien being. The devil walked. God saved us. Destroying an alien ship. The devil to tell us we weren’t deserving and bring back his deserving. Aliens. To use our image from the casket that preserved our flesh. For us to be damned to hell for cremation. The devil to conquer the world. Mathew 7:15 Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Your spirit is in your brain and leaves your body when you die. The spirit slowly rises towards the North Pole after death. The atmosphere to keep your spirit contained. A solar flare can kill your spirit. Your conscience/soul controls much of the brain and the brain controls the body. To be brought back as flesh and bone means to be reborn as a clone. Wolves in American and Russian governments have been stealing spirits for their memories to help them conquer the world. Look into monopoles (spirits). Utilizing the Bermuda Triangle changing the magnetic compass .003 degrees. Transferring spirits to technologies. The simulation. Not disclosing the true purpose of certain military bases at the Bermuda Triangle and the North Pole. A spirit can be put in a chip and be reborn. The clone grown around the chip within a tank like a womb. Artificial intelligence can also walk as flesh and blood using a programmed chip similar to a robot. Not meant to be. They can create remote controlled clones much like a remote-control vehicle/robot that have computer brains. Utilizing satellite reception and signal strength. Grown in labs around the computer where the brain would be. Some are partial brain and computer. Using the flesh from the ethnicity preferred. Many can be commanded to/not to perform a certain task. They can see and hear through them. Having them raised in the country they want to conquer. To win an election in your country and have others get into positions of power within military, intelligence, elite society and space agencies. Also having them do their wet work. We need to be educated on these technologies. There taking our world. Revelation behold, he is coming with the clouds. A spaceship from Alpha Centauri. The planet Kent. I was told Jesus Christ landed in Russia. A spirit can fly a spaceship. No natural life support needed. God saved him from the devil unfortunately his ship was low on energy. He had to land. President Putin gave his word to him. Jesus was to have 7 days to honor flesh and blood. Jesus to walk and honor the church. He wanted to inform the world and save me and you. President Putin and Trump denied him. Not telling the world. Many said Jesus is stuck in his ship at a top-secret installation in Russia similar to area 51. We need to save many other souls. They have our friends and families. Were to prove a reborn clone, UFO's (seen using micro waves or at area 51), hacked satellites, telescopes and mind reading technologies. To find the clone labs and destroy them. The clones to change our genome. They want to deny our children. To deny us free will and take our world and soul. Many in positions of power. To look you in the face and lie. About a 120 billion souls from Earth now live in a medium class ship between Earth and Mars. God saved them. No hell. You can communicate with them if you have a line of communication with a satellite. The government hiding much. Purgatory is Mars. To improve overtime and become a flesh and blood experience. Your spirit can become a robot. Energy is life. Humans to honor the full rotation of life. Not to deny natural existence. That we can bring ourselves back. Were to walk as 1. A form of creation is to redistribute matter and alter a big bang. We live in a Multiverse. Spirits to be added to evolution. Bred in from Kent. Earth to become a tier 1 civilization. To have 1 heaven on Earth. To have a democracy of heaven and Earth. For us to live like kings in time. Humans to learn they have spirits. Science and technology to prove them. Church to become community and teaching. Many religions to become 1. To be self-reliant. Were to save of ourselves. To have judgment on evil beings walking as flesh and blood humans. God and Allah one in the same after the New Testament. The devil to split us apart. God said I’m to tell you a revelation. For me to teach you prophecy and fix his word. The devil changed word to push his agenda. A man talking tongues to save the world by informing you. God wants his original doctrine to be released along with the book of Judah. The truth to come out. The Catholic Church to obtain it from Pope Francis. Please spread the word. Christopher, I speak tongues. prophecyisnow.com
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