51吃瓜

The global economic crisis has greatly contributed to the rise of far-right politics in the West manifesting itself in outcomes such as Brexit and the unprecedented rise of Donald Trump.

On June 23, the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union (EU) with the full effect of the economic, social and political ramifications of the decision still unknown. While the historic decision has disturbed and surprised many, the foundation for such a seismic change is squarely the product of profound social and cultural tensions鈥攕ome of which are being simultaneously echoed by the United States.

Aside from the weight of the decision to leave the EU, the demographic breakdown of those who voted to leave鈥攚ith a median age of over 65 years old鈥攊s notable. The bloc of voters vehemently behind the campaign for the UK to remain part of the EU had a median age of 21, . The discrepancy is both stark and important. Those who decided to leave the EU would ostensibly only have to 鈥渓ive with the decision鈥� for 16 years, while those who fought to stay in will live with the ramifications for an average of 69 years.

Baby Boomers

The parallels to the US are hard to dismiss. The demographic that has supported Donald Trump, the candidate many initially wrote off as an impossibility, has now been carried to the position of the presumptive presidential nominee for the Republican Party. Reports have shown repeatedly that , the person to return them to their America鈥攁 time of greater economic stability and a more demographically homogeneous population. showed that 56% of voters over the age of 40 want to build a wall along America鈥檚 southern border, while only 36% of those aged between 18-39 support building the wall with Mexico.

Contextually, landmark events have changed the way that the US鈥攁nd other Western democracies鈥攈ave come to function. The events of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent War on Terror, as well as the economic down turn in 2008, have colored the way Americans regard both national security and economic stability.

The global economic crisis, combined with the rise of social media, has greatly contributed to the rise of far-right politics in the West manifesting itself in outcomes such as Brexit and the unprecedented rise of candidates such as Trump. The ability to connect exclusively with individuals and organizations that share ideologically-driven struggles and fears has exacerbated the impact of rising economic inequality, political extremism and xenophobia.

Trump himself, while visiting Scotland, made the linkage, that 鈥渕any people are equating Brexit, and what is going on in Great Britain, with what is happening in the U.S. People want their country back!鈥� This argument assumes that the countries have been taken away. It also assumes that the rise of immigration somehow works to unravel a nation鈥檚 very fabric.

Coincidentally, Western democracies have been grappling with the so-called 鈥渞efugee crisis鈥� that has been born of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, but namely Syria. Though the US is to accept 10,000 refugees into the country by the end of 2016 (it has only accepted 1,285 thus far), the idea of granting asylum to refugees from Syria has only widened political divides.

The American right has argued that allowing in refugees from the Middle East will be a direct threat to US national security and stability, and has viewed all immigration policies with high scrutiny. The new perceived threat, paired with resentment over economic hardship and underemployment, has led some Americans to believe that the country needs to either be 鈥渢aken back,鈥� or 鈥渕ade great again.鈥�

The decision to Brexit comes at a time when European nations over a million migrants and refugees in 2015 alone. In 2015, Germany, an EU nation, received over 400,000 asylum applications. The decision to allow in refugees only grew resentment, especially in light of the November 2015 Paris attacks, for which the Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility, and the 2015-16 New Year鈥檚 Eve sexual assaults in Germany, where the perpetrators were thought to have come into Europe among the flow of migrants and refugees. The sentiments only grew following the March 2016 bombings in Brussels鈥攖he location of the European Parliament.

Ballot Box or the Street

While our international norms of tolerance and human rights have evolved quickly since the 1945 establishment of the United Nations, the all too human mix of fear and tribalism that Western elites created in the 20^th century. To this point, George Orwell鈥檚 鈥淓ngland Your England鈥� has been invoked in the Brexit debate, as the writer in 1941 wrote of 鈥渢he famous 鈥榠nsularity鈥� and 鈥榵enophobia鈥� of the English,鈥� particularly of the 鈥渨orking class.鈥�

The occurrence of Brexit and the success of the Trump campaign鈥攂oth deemed unprecedented and surprising鈥攁re born of greater social and economic narratives. The Western assumption that the world is destined to reach a more tolerant, equal and stable condition has been questioned by the success of those narratives among baby boomers. The insular proclivities of Western elders will lead to increased conflict along demographic lines, thus ensuring the self-fulfilling prophesy of tension between the West and the rest.

Democratic ideals are either preserved at the ballot box or lost in the street. In the face of growing economic inequality and fear of the 鈥渙ther,鈥� insularity and fear have proved intoxicating for elders longing for an idealized past.

The onus then falls on the young to maintain faith in equality and toleration to ensure that liberal democracy remains a political reality. That reality of what the decisions to potentially choose a renegade presidential candidate, or to Brexit, will soon be revealed.

The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.

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