THIS has been a week of hope, despite the desperate loss of life and irreparable crimes against humanity. Simultaneous to the horror and fear we all see and feel, we are starting to see the turn of history arching, at last, towards better days.
The extreme right wing will never self-regulate and adjust from their own trajectory. But by their very nature they expose their true selves and the people they once relied on do turn away. In America this has been the case this week. Donald Trump once cast himself as the voice of the working class. Of course, he never was, he was only interested in enriching himself and his family. However, he did catch a mood among people who felt isolated and let down by a political system that did not see or appreciate them. He tied his political fortunes to their fears and pretended to offer hope. However, what he really was doing was feeding his own pride and ego, thereby abusing their trust and their precious hopes. But that could never last.
His foray into Iran has exposed his commitment to the American people that he would end forever wars as a lie. It also began the exposure of a weird and extremely disturbing relationship with Israel, a pariah state with leaders wanted by the international courts for crimes against humanity. All of the accusations that were made against him, which he said were “faker news”, are indeed true.
With this exposure is the penetration of the protection of Israel itself. Up until these weeks it seemed that Israel’s position within the American legislature and media was unassailable. That is changing too. Significant right-wing figures are asking questions about the nature of that state, its relationship with the United States and, importantly, its undue influence. This is long overdue. It is too late for a full generation of Palestinians, but it feels unstoppable.
Even in Europe Hungary has had enough and wants a more positive and hopeful future. This will send a chill down the collective spines of the far right, who had thought they had unstoppable momentum.
Of course, it is egregious that this response is in large part due to the impact on the cost of oil and the related impact on all goods and services the white, privileged West enjoys. And that, in the context of a genocide which went largely ignored by the same people, is not something to cheer. However, the tide is at last turning.
The question now is, Where does it turn towards? The truth is that the far right has become what it has become as a result of the failures of traditional neo-liberal politics. The working classes have not seen their work rewarded or their lives valued by the centre right, especially since the crash of 2008. International frameworks may have in the past mitigated disaster but have equally ensured impunity for white Western war criminals. Whatever questions the people will now be asking as the far right lose their grip, the parties of the past do not have the answers.
Human rights advocates and those who are truly representative of working people have an opportunity to grasp this moment, but they must be brave and bold. There can be no half-measures.
