The power of the street

The world was shocked to see how a relatively small group of supporters of Donald trump broke into the Capitol building when he Congress of the United States I was in session this week to try certify the presidential elections, putting an end to the president’s attempts to reverse the electoral process, in particular a Latin American perspective, where we unfortunately got used to widespread political violence and the assault on government buildings. the scars of military dictatorships bloodthirsty still fresh, it was funny to see characters like the one called ‘Yellowstone Wolf‘, a Self-proclaimed “ shaman ” of the QAnon conspiracy theory dressed as a minotaur, disjointed from the president of the president of the Senate, Mike pence, who had been brought to safety by secret service agents moments before.

In Argentina, Peronist movement made of “rule the streets“a kind of metaphor to express the breadth of her supporters. However, this is more than a show of popular support: she also communicates a physical ability that has been used time and again against her political opponents. Political groups mobilized for Liberation Juan Domingo Peron in what is called the “Loyalty day”Back on October 17, 1945. After being expelled from the movement by Perón a month before his death, the paramilitary organization Montoneros With guerrilla tactics, he used the streets to fight his suspected enemies, including the armed forces who after a The military coup established the infamous military dictatorship of 1976-1983.

Donald the Clown and the declassified whites

he violent use of public space is a demonstration of institutional weakness, where political differences must be resolved by brute force. In fact, when Latin American military dictatorships seized power with tanks and soldiers on the streets, even bombing the presidential palace and killing a sitting president, as happened in Salvador Allende in Chile in 1973, clarified that Constitutions were less important than capacity. to inflict physical damage on an enemy. Unfortunately, these situations still occur today, as can be seen in the Venezuela by Nicolás Maduro or even in The savior of Nayib Bukele. Being able to disrupt the constitutional process, directly or indirectly, through the use of violence is an indication that the democratic process is breaking down.

There are many disturbing signs of what we have seen in Washington DC this week. He was an interim president, Donald Trump, who woke up the crowd and asked them to walk to the Capitol, where its vice president led a session in which a minority group of lawmakers sought to challenge the November election results. The violent clashes between Trump supporters and the limited security forces at the United States Capitol quickly escalated out of control due to the limited number of officers and barriers, forcing the senators and representatives to flee as a heterogeneous group of middle-aged, overweight people right-wing conspiracy theorists and white supremacists entered buildings with the intention of blocking the vote and potentially cancel the elections. Once inside, they took selfies and destroyed the building to take away memories. in particular the office of the President of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Nail troublemaker was shot inside the Capitol, while a policeman is dead later because of his injuries.

Faces of the group that stormed Congress

While these people clearly posed no threat to the oldest representative democracy in the world (Congress met again later that night and effectively certified the election) Trump’s actions are extremely dangerous to the future of the American political system. The outgoing president, who he didn’t want to accept defeat, actually sent a group of thugs to plunder one of the most sacred monuments of American democracy, deliberately holding the national guard (until Vice President Pence orders their deployment) and encourages them through social media. Whether he intends to or not, he has let everyone know that he has the power to “Rule the streets” violently and what is capable of disrupt the democratic process. Trump’s power over these people is ideological, which makes him more dangerous than that of South America, where it is usually tied to economic demands. His refusal to concede, as well as the organization of a rigged election for months, further encouraged his staunch supporters, among them many members of the civilian militias which number tens of thousands of armed men.

Trump seems not so much the cause, but rather the consequence of a divide in American society that has only deepened under his controversial presidency. The irruption of To taste as a major player in conservative politics during the Obama years, it was an early sign of a shift towards the more fundamentalist ends of the political spectrum. The rapid proliferation of connected devices, along with the depth and speed of communication and the amplification that the Internet makes possible, have taken political systems by storm, contributing to consolidate polarization as the defining characteristic of our time. The combination of disinformation and the exhaustion of a world capitalism which no longer generates greater wealth for all.

In Argentina it is said that only the Peronists can govern in a crisisbecause they have enough muscle to control the streets. Macri was only the first non-Peronist to complete his term four years since the resumption of democracy in 1983, which sounds like a small feat for anyone who is not Argentinian. That a democracy is capable of passing through administrations of opposing political signs without street violence, and that an important and divisive policy can be adopted without disruption, is a sign of strength. It was unthinkable until this week that the United States Congress could be disturbed by physical force. It should serve as a strong warning to all that democracy should not be taken for granted.

Translated from his column in the “Buenos Aires Times” of 01/09/2021

https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/opinion-and-analysis/latin-american-lessons-for-the-united-states-damaged-democracy.phtml