The emerging face of fascism in the USA
How
does fascism emerge? An analysis
of the events leading up to the emergence of fascism in Europe in the 1920s and
1930s point to some important findings. These are –
1.
High unemployment (1921
in Italy and 1932 in Germany.)
- Destabilized
government in the wake of WW I. Both
countries were at the mercy of factional strife, coups, and street
fighting.
- Fear
of Communism. When the Communists came to
power in Russia, they executed Tsar Nicholas II, cruelly bayoneting his
daughters. This sent a down every royal spine in Europe (many
of whom were related to Nicholas.) The wealthy also feared for their
power and riches. Communists were active in both countries,
trying to get themselves elected or take the government by
force. Both Mussolini and Hitler exploited this fear to secure
help from the wealthy and powerful.
- Wounded
national pride in the wake of WW
I. Although Italy was among the victors of WW I, it was quickly
marginalized by the other victors. It received none of the
spoils of war and no voice in the armistice. Germany lost the
war, much territory, and had to endure the Treaty of Versailles which
inflicted total blame and financial reparations.
- Many
war veterans from WWI. The streets
were full of experienced soldiers, jobless, often still armed.
They were ripe to be organized against other political parties.
Political disputes often spilled over to gunfire in the streets.
These conditions favored the most ruthless political party.
For instance, millions of
jobs, esp. in the manufacturing sector have moved away from the USA to
countries, at least since the 1990s, where the costs of manufacturing are
lower. Most of these jobs never returned to the USA. Many of those former
employees are either out of job or are forced to work for low-paying jobs in
parts of the USA that are commonly called these days as ‘rust belts.’ The 2008
economic melt-down, brought about by Bush Jr.’s hawkish policy and neo-Crusades
- the perennial wars in Afghanistan and Iraq - saw many of their life-time savings
evaporate; many lost their homes and businesses. They are bitter, angry and
frustrated, and would like to see a change for the better. They have been the
major force to elect Donald Trump as the 45th POTUS.
Ever since Barack H. Obama
was elected as the 44th president, the USA has witnessed a series of
tense events along racial fault lines. The election outcome in November 2008 was
undesirable to many White Americans who refused to accept the evolution of
their country and government that has increasingly become diverse, slightly more
tolerant on sensitive issues. Many of them joined white supremacist militia
groups, preparing to bring about a race war against non-Whites and a federal
government that they considered illegitimate and run by a ‘disguised Muslim’
(and not a ‘faithful’ follower of Jesus Christ) who – in their faulty
understanding - was not even born within the USA.
After the loss of the
Democrats to the Republicans in both the Houses in the 2010 mid-term election the
Obama administration was weak to tackle a plethora of internal problems facing
the divided country. The right-wing extremists and conservatives (including
evangelicals) saw the Obamacare as expensive and thus, unhelpful to general
public and rallied for its annulment. They also saw several of the executive
orders of Obama, e.g., on LBGT, as warning signs for the conservatives to wake
up and rally behind the Republican candidates.
The voices of these
disgruntled White Americans found a very powerful advocate, or more correctly a
provocateur, in ultra-right Fox TV News, owned by the neoconservative Rupert
Murdoch. With a non-stop barrage of propaganda, based on ‘fake news’, fed by
the conservative media outlets (including radio talk show hosts), the last
couple of years of Obama administration saw the Congress as a lame-duck, which
would not allow Obama’s choice for the Supreme Court to even get a hearing.
9/11 had already dug a
gigantic, deep wound in American pride that had defined American psyche and politics
ever since. No time in its history was the USA ever attacked by non-state
actors that killed some three thousand citizens. Rather than finding the root
causes of the attack, the USA and its western partners attacked first
Afghanistan and then Iraq savagely, killing in the process nearly a million
unarmed citizens of those countries that had nothing to do with 9/11. Those
regimes were soon toppled, the entire infra-structure of those countries destroyed,
and puppet regimes installed. The rest is history!
More than a trillion
dollars has already been spent in the Bush-initiated and Obama-continued ‘Global
War on Terror’ in those countries to keep America ‘safe’ here from terrorists. [With
all the expenses piling up for health care needs of injured veterans, the cost
of the war may rise to six trillion dollars.] And yet, the wars, started by the
chicken-hawk, neocons within George W. Bush’s administration, have not ended with
American soldiers still dying there.
In spite of its gaping
flaws, America’s war in faraway countries that did not attack the USA was sold
to the general public and soldiers as a necessary and justifiable war. As part
of the military’s rule of engagement, unarmed civilians – old and young,
including toddlers and infants - were mercilessly killed or maimed unprovoked.
As a result of the evil
that they committed in the killing fields of Iraq and Afghanistan, many of the
soldiers are now suffering from chronic PTSD. The Veterans Administration has
failed them. Consequently, many of the returning soldiers are now dependent on
drugs to temporarily forget their war crimes. Some of them have also committed
homicides. Many of them remain jobless and are very critical of the government
for what they consider their abandonment. Many are joining private militias for
a ‘higher’ cause and some are even killing non-Christians to that end.
Thanks to western savagery
and the sectarian heavy-handed practices of the U.S.-supported Iraqi
government, a new nemesis – Daesh (more commonly called ISIS/ISIL), an
un-Islamic terrorist outfit – has emerged in the scene, which seems to be more
dangerous and determined to not only take over the ownership of Iraq and Syria
but also to bring the fight to both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Their mindless
nihilism has killed and injured mostly Muslims; a much smaller number of Europeans
and Americans has also been victimized by their brainwashed comrades. Daesh has
recruited thousands - Muslims and non-Muslims alike - to join the rank and file
to kill and be killed in an imbalanced war with the West. They remain a
formidable force unless they are defeated both ideologically and materially.
As a result of continuing
wars in vast territories of Asia and Africa, tens of millions of affected people
are on the move now. While a vast majority of these refugees have found
temporary shelters in nearby Muslim countries, a much smaller fraction of the
refugees has also poured into Europe, Canada, Australia and the USA, which are
overwhelmingly Christian countries, where the old racism of the past has resurfaced
under the new insignia of anti-immigration movement. Many of the racists and
bigots within these countries – historically, all former colonizers – are defining
the ugly face of neo-fascism in their respective countries.
Not surprisingly, the fear
of ISIS and immigration has filled the vacuum left over by communism to see
that this new breed of fascism is alive and kicking in many parts of Europe,
Australia and the USA.
Like the fascism of the
past, while the enemy’s face has changed, the new fascism glorifies war (by
suggesting that if ‘we’ don’t defeat and crush ‘them’ ‘they’ will make ‘us’
inferior and force ‘us’ to alter our lifestyle) and promotes authoritarianism.
It is populist. It is opposed to the free press and sees its function only as a
vehicle to promote and propagate its agenda.
It is no accident that Senator
McCain, an old guard of the Republican Party, sees fascist leanings in
President Trump’s attacks against the media.
Like his fascist
predecessors – Mussolini and Hitler - Trump has been able to exploit the dissatisfaction
among the jobless White Americans, the fear of immigrants - esp. the Latinos
and Muslim immigrants (from war torn countries), let alone the so-called
Islamic radicals and the ISIS, an erosion of conservative values, a divided
Congress, the wounded pride of the Americans and the anger of the returning
veterans to his advantage. His toxic formula to present himself as a populist
leader succeeded so well that in spite of his brazen and offensive utterings
about women, many White Americans (including women) voted for him to make him
the president.
Many political observers
imagined that once elected, and with time, his behavior would modify. But so
far he has proven them wrong. He has also surrounded himself in the White House
with advisers who are known more for espousing their despicable hatred and
intolerance against ‘others’ than anything either noble or good, except
probably the inclusion of two generals – one (retired) ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis and the
other (a serving general) McMaster. Both the latter individuals are
level-headed, honest and visionary leaders. Only time would show whether they
would have a sobering effect on Trump to modulate his behavior or become a
casualty.
There is no doubt that the
USA is going through an unusual time under a new president whose rhetoric has
made the world leaders jittery and wary of his intentions.
One of the major global threats
is Daesh, which needs to be defeated – the sooner the better.
However, as I have noted
in the past, history has repeatedly shown that it’s very difficult to defeat neo-Khawariz
organizations like today’s Daesh, and yesterday’s Hashishyyin (Assassins). Even after their political defeat, they continue(d) to wreak havoc. The
best measure is to defeat them ideologically. It is there that the Muslim
community can be an unmatched asset to mortally defeat it. [Sadly, the current
intolerance against Muslims by the fascist-leaning leaders in many parts of the
world (esp. Europe and the USA) is not helpful at all.] I am glad to note that
this age-old wisdom is understood quite well by smart students of world history
like Generals Mattis and McMaster.
Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, told
the staff of the National Security
Council last Thursday, in his first “all hands” staff meeting, that the
label “radical Islamic terrorism” was not helpful because terrorists are
“un-Islamic.” That is a repudiation of the language regularly used by both the
president and General McMaster’s predecessor, Michael T. Flynn, who
resigned last week after admitting that he had misled Vice President Mike
Pence and other officials about a phone call with a Russian diplomat. It is
also a sign that General McMaster, a veteran of the Iraq war known for his
sense of history and independent streak, might move the council away from the
ideologically charged views of Flynn. If he succeeds, this would be a great
victory for all.
There is no doubt that Trump’s
unbridled remarks against immigrants are emboldening many white supremacists
who are unleashing their hate crimes against ‘others’. This week, two Indians (who
had legal permits) were shot
in a bar in Kansas by an anti-immigrant bigot - Adam W. Purinton (wearing military
medals) who tossed ethnic slurs at them and suggesting they did not belong in
the United States before returning to the bar to kill one and wounding the
other Indian.
The attack, which the federal and
local authorities are investigating as a possible hate crime, reverberated far
beyond both states. It raised new alarms about a climate of hostility toward
foreigners in the United States, where President Trump has made clamping down
on immigration a central plank of his “America first” agenda.
Nearly three weeks ago, a trial began in
federal court in
Tennessee of a self-professed
Christian minister Robert Doggart - who plotted to kill Americans of another
faith (Islam)
to prove his “commitment to our God.” The trial did not get much
publicity simply because
the man on trial is not Muslim. If he were Muslim, we would of course have
heard of his sinister plot. But as we have seen time and time again, terrorist
plots by non-Muslims are met with a collective yawn by most in our media.
Undercover FBI agents allege that
Doggart was plotting to travel to upstate New York to kill Muslims there using
explosives, an M-4 assault rifle and even a machete to cut the infidels to
shreds. The FBI’s investigation also found that Doggart viewed himself as a religious
“warrior” who wanted to kill Muslims to show to his commitment to his Christian
God. Doggart even boasted that the attack on the Muslims “will be cruel. And we
will burn down their buildings [Referring to their mosque and school.] … and if anybody attempts
to harm us in any way… we will take them down.”
As noted by Dean Obeidallah, this man “sounds no different
from an ISIS terrorist wanting to kill people of other faiths in accordance
with their own perverted interpretation of their religious faith.”
In December 2016 white
supremacist Glendon Scott Crawford was sentenced to
30 years to life for trying to build a radioactive weapon to kill Muslim
Americans. Crawford, a Navy Veteran and a member of the Ku Klux Klan, was an
electrical engineer who has carried out extensive research on his radiation
dispersal device designed to target a Muslim community.
In September 2016 three
men known as “The Crusaders” were arrested for
plotting to kill Muslim refugees in Kansas. Per the FBI, the three had been
engaged in surveillance of the apartment complex where primarily Somalian
Muslim refugees lived. The FBI also
noted that the three spoke of dipping their bullets in pig’s blood before
shooting the Muslims—which was reminiscent of a Trump’s campaign stump speech
when he wrongly
claimed that General Pershing had done the same when fighting in the
Philippines.
All these are warning signs for the USA,
and parallel criminal activities of fascist predecessors of Italy and Germany
against the so-called undesirables – the Jews and gypsies.
It’s high time that the media start
reporting on the threats by white supremacists and Christian radicals plotting
to kill Muslim Americans and other religious minorities with the same intensity
as when a Muslim suspect is involved. Otherwise, it won’t be too late when we
shall all fall prey to an emerging fascism that the USA has never seen before.
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