51吃瓜

The American social contract has withered gravely, making Trump far less accountable than Nixon for his many misdeeds.

This has been a momentous week. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was re-elected with 57% of the vote. As per听, many saw the Iranian election as a referendum on Rouhani鈥檚 policy of opening up Iran to the world and his efforts to stimulate a stagnant economy. His opponent positioned himself as a defender of the poor and called for a tougher line against the West. The president presented the election as a choice between greater civil liberties and increased 鈥渆xtremism.鈥� Even after US President Donald Trump called Iran 鈥溾�� and continues to saber-rattle, Iranian voters have demonstrated rather cooler heads and opted for a moderate over a populist.

Good news in Iran was accompanied by bad news elsewhere.听听in an attack on a Libyan airbase. Apparently, government troops killed unarmed rebels returning from a military parade. Many civilians died too. The newly negotiated tricky truce between the government and the rebels might now be in peril.

While the attack in Libya was unexpected, the same cannot be said about Brazil鈥檚 corruption scandal that has plumbed new depths. The May 15, 2016, edition of听The World This Week听predicted a bleak future for Brazil when Dilma Rousseff was impeached. That warning is turning out to be true. Michel Temer, Rousseff鈥檚 successor, might have taken millions of dollars in bribes since 2010. It seems that, like 鈥�,鈥� corruption in Brazil is 鈥渘ever out of date.鈥�

Nor it seems are the melting poles. Parts of Antarctica are warming faster than anywhere else on the planet.听听reports that fast-growing moss is turning the continent green thanks to rising temperatures.听 journalists joined an international team of scientists from December 2016 to March 2017 to chronicle this phenomenon that many god-fearing Republicans in the United States damn as a conspiracy of evil globalists conspiring against their pickup trucks.

Speaking of the US, this grand and glorious country takes center stage this week. US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed a听听to lead a federal investigation into Russia鈥檚 alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Robert Mueller, the former chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, will investigate if Russia and Trump have been up to hanky-panky of any sort.

JAMES COMEY TOWERS OVER TRUMP

Trump likes to brand things after his name. One of the skyscrapers the president owns is the 68-storey听. Sadly for 鈥淭he Donald,鈥� his name is all over the firing of James Comey, the former FBI director. The circumstances surrounding Comey鈥檚 dismissal are a bit murky and might have the makings of a sordid scandal.

The last edition of听The World This Week听briefly described how the White House had tied itself in knots over Comey鈥檚 dismissal. It has changed its story about the chain of events faster than a champion chameleon. Many Democrats and some Republicans suspect that Trump was out to scuttle the FBI investigation into links between Russia and members of his campaign team.听, the former national security advisor who had to resign ignominiously, is the prize suspect. The media is awash with news that Trump asked Comey to drop the inquiry against Flynn.

To add fuel to the fire, Trump reportedly told Russian officials that firing Comey eased 鈥済reat pressure鈥� on him and described the former FBI boss as a 鈥渞eal nut job.鈥� Many Americans have been outraged by the thought that Russia might have interfered with their presidential election. On October 7, 2016, Barack Obama鈥檚听听in the election after WikiLeaks revealed compromising confidential emails by senior Democrats.

Even more than WikiLeaks, journalists credit Trump鈥檚 victory to Comey鈥檚 investigation of Hillary Clinton鈥檚 emails. On May 2, Clinton blamed听听as key factors for her defeat. That Comey is a Republican made many doubt his impartiality in a profoundly polarized society. Yet it is clear that things have not gone swimmingly well between Trump and Comey.听听reports that Trump demanded 鈥渓oyalty,鈥� but Comey merely promised him 鈥渉onesty.鈥� Soon, Trump gave the 鈥渟howboat鈥� the ax.

Comey鈥檚 father has stirred the pot by declaring that听Trump was 鈥溾�澨齩f the former FBI boss. The senior citizen claimed his son was fired because he 鈥渢ells the truth [while] Trump runs around lying all day.鈥� The Republican who voted neither for Clinton nor for Trump described the president as incompetent, deserving impeachment and 鈥渃razy as a hoot.鈥�

Such was the drumbeat of the scandal that the recently appointed Rosenstein selected Comey鈥檚 predecessor at the FBI as a special prosecutor, even as听. Trump lashed out against Rosenstein鈥檚 decision, calling it a 鈥渟ingle greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history.鈥� In a twist Hollywood screenwriters could not dream of, the Republican whose investigation helped Trump win is now poisoning his presidency.

IS COMEYGATE THE NEW WATERGATE?

Trump is not the first president who has been sucked into a scandal. In 1974, the听听scandal forced Richard Nixon to resign. The poor chap got into hot water for lying about his team sending burglars to the offices of the Democrats. Trump鈥檚 original sin is purportedly far worse. Does this make Comeygate the new Watergate?

In a听tour de force, the veteran James Fallows of听 argues that the Comey affair is worse than Watergate. It reflects poorly on the president, the national interest and the democratic system of the United States. For Fallows, five reasons make Comeygate more sinister than Watergate.

First, authoritarian Russia might have manipulated the US election. By revealing confidential information in a Machiavellian fashion, the apparatchiks of President Vladimir Putin might have swung the election against Clinton and in favor of Trump. Furthermore, this might have been part of Putin鈥檚 design not only to interfere in elections, but also to destroy trust in democracy. Glenn Carle, a retired intelligence operative, has long been shouting from the rooftops that this sinister Russian interference in US domestic politics marks the greatest risk to the democracy that gave the world George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.

Second, Nixon might have been a crook but he wanted to appear a gentleman. He constantly paid lip service to due process, professing fealty to checks and balances. By contrast, Trump is a thug. Trump supporters call the October 9, 2016, edition of听The World This Week听a ruthless hatchet job on the president because this author argued at length that the real estate tycoon and reality TV star was 鈥渢he ultimate ugly American鈥� who was unfit to rule. Unlike Nixon, Trump has cast aside all pretenses and is entirely Hobbesian in his pursuit of power.

Third, in Fallows鈥� words, Nixon was 鈥減aranoid, resentful, bigoted and a crook鈥� while also being 鈥渄eeply knowledgeable, strategically prescient, publicly disciplined鈥� and even progressive by today鈥檚 standards. After all, it is the much maligned Nixon who created the Environmental Protection Agency and reached out to China. Nixon was an intelligent crook while Trump is an oafish conman. The Donald鈥檚 interview with听听beggars belief. It betrays woolly thinking, horrendous reasoning, stupefying ignorance and delusional confidence that could prove to be deadly disastrous.

Fourth, American institutions are no longer as resilient as they once were. Fallows rightly points out that three senior officials chose to fall on their sword instead of follow orders they believed to be illegal. They chose principle over position, and democracy in the US recovered. Rosenstein may have appointed a special prosecutor as Fallows demanded, but Carle points out that institutions have weakened dramatically of late. Under George W. Bush, it took a total of six people to bring back torture. Americans started indulging in activities like waterboarding, for which they had once sentenced the Japanese to death.

Finally, Republicans during the Nixon era still had some sense of honor. Today, the members of the Grand Old Party (GOP) act as if their spines have been surgically removed from their bodies. In fact, Peter Isackson, the Paris-based American sage, makes an astute observation in line with Fallows. Isackson sees Trump as an insurgent who succeeded in a hostile takeover of the GOP. Consequently, members of the Republican Party are terrified of breaking ranks with Trump and being seen as Brutus or Judas. In a toxic partisan political culture, loyalty trumps honesty and rhetoric beats reason.

COMEYGATE MAY BE WORSE BUT WHO CARES?

In Silicon Valley, this author ran into a rather successful venture capitalist who declared that politics was irrelevant. Technology drives society forward and what happens in Washington, DC is a mere distraction. It seems that听听agree with this venture capitalist.

According to this worldview, politics is a sideshow. In the age of internet, social media and smartphones, people have other things to do than to worry about Trump fooling around with Putin. In this era, capital and information flow seamlessly across borders. Most Indians are on Facebook and use WhatsApp. Therefore, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned up to pay tribute to Mark Zuckerberg. By this logic, even if Russia released emails before the election, it does not matter that much.

Besides, a former Indian intelligence chief notes that influencing the domestic politics of other countries is standard practice. For years, the US not only interfered in elections, but also backed coups against elected governments. In Iran and Chile, the US jumped into bed with military dictators quite eagerly and infamously. Russia is only repaying the US in kind after its repeated interference in states that comprised the Soviet Union, including Russia itself. From Putin鈥檚 point of view, Clinton acted in Ukraine with utmost arrogance, and the former intelligence operative used her emails for comeuppance.

In particular, many Republicans argue that the media is treating Trump unfairly. They suspect Clinton of flirting if not sleeping with foreign powers for decades. The September 18, 2016, edition of听The World This Week听chronicled the many scandals that have plagued the Clintons, including a Russian uranium deal that led to cash for their rather well-known foundation. As a result, many have found it hard to forgive and forget the Clintons. These scandals also give them a reason to rationalize Trump鈥檚 actions.

As this author pointed out in an August 2016听, the global rise of the far right is a powerful phenomenon. The multiple failures of elites, increasing inequality allied with decreasing social mobility, and the loss of collective identity have led to a loss of trust in institutions and splintered social contracts. This is true for many countries. The multiracial and multicultural US is no exception. After all, as听Alexander Dumer, the former managing editor of 51吃瓜, pointedly asks, 鈥淲ho is a real American?鈥�

A hedge fund manager in New York who invests in Indian equities or Indonesian bonds often has more in common with his colleagues in Singapore than his relatives in Syracuse. Therefore, he incorporates his fund in offshore tax havens such as Bermuda or Cayman Islands and wants the听听to remain. This loophole allows him to pay tax at a rate of 20% less than a firefighter or a teacher. This hedge fund manager does not feel enough kinship with those in Syracuse to cough up more tax, and he donates to political campaigns to ensure that his tax rates do not rise.

In the Watergate era, the social contract in the US was a lot stronger. The memory of World War II was still vivid. Nixon was born a Quaker and could have claimed exemption from the draft, the compulsory military service for able-bodied American males. Instead, he听听with distinction. During the Watergate era, many Americans were drafted for military service in Vietnam. The people were divided along ideological lines, but retained a strong sense of collective identity born from the draft, struggles against segregation and the campaign against the war.

Today, the US may have waged wars in distant Iraq and Afghanistan, but these conflicts are fought by professional soldiers. In a most insightful paper,听听concludes that 鈥渢hose with lower family income are more likely to join the military than those with higher family income.鈥� American elites such as New York鈥檚 hedge fund boys or Silicon Valley鈥檚 geeks no longer pay for the price of their passports in blood and treasure. After all, stock prices are rising, arugula salads abound, god is in his heaven and all’s right with the world. A tax-avoiding and draft-dodging president potentially up to hanky-panky with Putin may not quite be the norm, but it seems no longer beyond the pale.

*[You can receive 鈥淭he World This Week鈥� directly in your inbox by subscribing to our mailing list. Simply visit听51吃瓜听and enter your email address in the space provided. Meanwhile, please find below five of our finest articles for the week.]

Iranian Election: A Choice Between Bad or Worse

Hassan Rouhani 漏 Kremlin

Even if he wins the Iranian election, the realities of today will make it difficult for President Rouhani to achieve social and political reform.

The Iranian presidential election on May 19 has been shaped by sociopolitical changes, the need for a successor to the supreme leader, the rise of nationalism and the nuclear deal. There are听six candidates听who have managed to get the green light from the supreme听leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In Iran, obtaining the approval of the Guardian Council, which is under the supreme leader鈥檚 control, is an arduous task. According to the constitution, any听male Shia 鈥� but only the听Twelver听branch of Shiism 鈥� can run for the presidency but, in practice, only those of Fars origin are considered for the post. It is, therefore, impossible for a woman or a Kurd, Azeri,听Arab听or听Balochi听to stand. However, in reality, the selection process becomes even narrower because the only ones who can pass the鈥� Read more

WannaCry: The Role of Government in Cyber-Intrusions

漏 A.Ferreira

What role should governments play when it comes to听cybersecurity?

The WannaCry cyber-incident of听May 12, which involved the British National Health Service (NHS), has received a good deal of coverage. Comments focused on whether the attack was听preventable听and if it presents increased vulnerability for听public sector organizations, with substantive focus on the听use of the outdated Windows XP. Such analysis does, however, gloss over an essential question: What do we want the role of the government to be and, indeed, what could it or what should it be?

The role of the government in cybersecurity has two essential debates. First, the dividing line between corporate 鈥� including the public sector 鈥� and government responsibility. Second, if some role for the government is accepted, then which branch of government should have primacy or be involved at all? The听2016 National Cyber Security Strategy听attempts to delineate the responsibility of the individual, corporate and government. The strategy established that the鈥� Read more

The Tragedy of Journalism in Mexico

漏 Microgren

Journalism is facing a crisis in Mexico, leading to protests calling for an end to violence.

鈥淎 murdered journalist means one less voice in favor of the people.鈥� These words, written in Spanish, were placed on a blanket outside a memorial for听Javier Vald茅z, a reporter for听La Jornada听who was murdered on May 15. He is the fourth journalist to be killed in Mexico this year and the second assaulted that day.

On May 16, hundreds of journalists gathered outside the attorney general鈥檚 office in three cities calling for justice. In the capital Mexico City, protesters held photos of the victims along with placards reading, 鈥淭hey are killing us.鈥� Since President Enrique Pe帽a Nieto entered office in 2012,听36 journalists听have been killed and听23 are still missing. Journalism is a risky profession as it can involve investigating and telling stories that many do not want to be told. As per the United Nations, more than听700鈥� Read more

Why Am I Famous?

Paris Hilton 漏 Amnesia Ibiza

Today, celebrity describes a culture and a set of attitudes and behavior that absorbs as well as surrounds us.

Ten years ago,听Paris Hilton was the victim听of a sort of hacking. Hundreds of her albums (she was a recording artist, in addition her several other roles) were remixed by the guerrilla artist听Banksy, who retitled them听Why am I Famous?听What Have I Done? and听What Am I For? and then left the CDs (this was 2006, remember) in record stores across the United Kingdom.

It was one of those cruel pranks to which the then ubiquitous all-purpose socialite-cum-celebrity had become accustomed. Some people had grown cynical and started asking questions about the likes of Hilton and so-called It Girls, such as the recently deceased Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, whose lives seemed chronicled in almost every detail by an increasingly intrusive and pervasive media. What were they for? Puzzled cynics wondered why we, the public, were so captivated by鈥� Read more

It鈥檚 Always Sunny in Saudi Arabia

漏 DiyanaDimitrova

How the biggest exporter of crude oil could become a leader in solar energy.

Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, countries are beginning to reap the benefits of cheaper听solar听power technology and are investing in mega projects to sustainably power electricity grids. Morocco is currently developing one of the听largest听solar听power plants听in the world. The United Arab Emirates is building听Masdar City, a hub for research and development of renewable听energy听technologies. Jordan has so few natural resources that it is beginning to听invest听heavily in听solar听energy.

All of these countries have launched the region鈥檚 move toward adopting large-scale听solar听power. As this trend develops and听solar听technologies continue to advance, there is one Middle Eastern country that truly has the ability 鈥斕齱ith its massive oil reserves, expansive sun-drenched territory and economic willpower 鈥� to transform the听solar听industry and with it the global economy:听Saudi听Arabia. In February, the听Saudi government released a鈥� Read more

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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