A polarised world

It seems that the public is increasingly polarised in many countries across the world. In many democracies, ruling parties only have a marginal advantage over those that sit in the opposition.

For example, elections in the US and Turkey were won with a small margin of victory. Similarly, the crucial vote in the UK on whether to leave or stay in the EU was won with only 52 percent of the total number of votes while many eligible voters didn’t bother to show up to cast their ballots. And this is a decision that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of all UK residents, and perhaps all of Europe.

Not only do ruling parties have small margins of victory, voters appear to have increasingly hostile views about those with whom they don’t agree. Consequently, dialogue and compromise is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. In the US, Trump has just passed the midway point of his four-year term. During these two years, his Republican Party has controlled both chambers of Congress. As a result, there has been no desire to consider opposing viewpoints.

Important decisions implemented over the past many years have been undone with the stroke of a pen. Even signed international agreements have been cancelled on a whim. A polite discussion about differences of opinion on policy matters is increasingly hard to come by. One almost has to know the political leanings of friends and acquaintances before expressing any views.

A similar situation exists in Pakistan. Those who opposed the previous regime can find no fault with the current rulers while those who supported the previous government don’t find anything to like about current policies. In WhatsApp groups that I am part of, such as those with old college friends, we have had to implement a policy of not sharing anything that’s related to politics or policies, just to be able to carry on a civil dialogue.

On a recent trip to Turkey, I found similar sentiments related to the current government in the country. The present leadership is either the best ever or the worst, depending on whom you ask. In the past, I used to enjoy chatting with cab-drivers about the political and economic situation in the country whenever I landed at the airport. No more. You never know where anyone stands, but you can pretty much bet they hold strong views, whatever they may be.

In the US, a similar ‘all or nothing’ approach to border security recently resulted in a 35-day government shutdown, causing widespread hardships among one million or more federal employees and contractors. The impasse was finally broken when air-traffic controllers warned of impending disaster due to lack of staffing. The president found no way forward and capitulated.

Much has been written and said about the causes of extreme polarisation across the world. Some say it is social media that is causing it. Word spreads rapidly across the world and there’s no way to distinguish between real news and fake news. Others point towards the reinforcing nature of online news outlets. Whatever my interests and views are, news websites will keep sending me more of the same or similar views. There are fewer opportunities to hear and understand opposing viewpoints. It is as if we are all starting to live in echo chambers.

Whatever it is that is causing the extreme polarisation in our societies, it is clear this cannot go on for too long before the effects become disastrous for democracy. One can only hope that humanity will recognise the grave risks that we face and find a way to overcome them.

The writer is a Pakistani-American based in Washington DC.

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