Every day brings more evidence of the United States’ profound political polarization. Partisan intransigence, vitriol, and divisiveness now contaminate most government institutions. What is more, these sentiments have steadily infiltrated every nook and cranny of American life. The 2020 presidential campaign will only further intensify the country’s partisan tribalism. And despite the lofty praise that news media and civil society heap on politicians who work across party lines, the divisive trend continues with no end in sight.
The more than 35 books published on this subject in the past decade have shed much light on partisan dynamics. Yet almost without exception, they examine U.S. polarization as an isolated phenomenon, separate from the experiences of other countries. In our research and advocacy work, we have taken a different tack.
Collaborating with scholars from around the world, we have examined the striking rise of severe polarization in numerous other democracies, including Bangladesh, Colombia, Poland, and Turkey. In each case we took a close look at the roots of polarization and then traced its trajectory over time, analyzing the main drivers as well as the negative consequences and attempted remedies.
Although polarization in the United States shares some basic features with political divisions elsewhere, we found that it stood out in many crucial respects. American polarization has deep roots that have taken decades to grow and strengthen. The United States may look much like many other angry, divided countries, but its brand of polarization raises specific concerns about the future and functioning of its democracy...
Comments(1)
”SPUTNIK MOMENT” China opened its cheap labor doors (Clinton years), and thousands of US corporations rushed in vying for higher profits, leaving in the lamb millions of US workers. The Chinese learned the ropes all too well through hard work ethics, and twenty or so years later, US corporations and politicians are crying wolf. It is too late. The competition is on; building the Silky Road and alliances around the world is a winning ticket for China economic power. Trump’s reaction is the most unbecoming, tariffs and muscle the US forces around the China sea; he still lives in the cold world era, and quitting the TTP economic trade agreement was a blunder the US is regretting already. If the US can have a ”Sputnik moment,” there are three outstanding domestic issues to tackle. First, one way to keep China at bay is through better and INCLUSIVE education. Turning US educational system to profiteers(from K12 thru college)is a mistake; poorly run colleges and online degree mills are robbing our kids a future and worsening the defaults on a $1Trillion student debt. Can the US continue filling the talent gap by wooing graduates from China, India, etc. and neglecting serious investment in education?-Hardly. Top talent is already a commodity sought after in every advanced economy. The experts believe China may match the US personal income by the end of the century, and surpass its enormous economic power by 2028- China thinks the match is around the corner and they may be right. Second, we agree it is a tough time for America. The political malaise is destroying the soul of the country and spreading like a poisonous weed around the world. There is no argument that Trump is unfit to be President, but what was the choice for American voters?-The Same elitist's governments who unapologetically turned defenders of the wealthy? They have driven this country to the current historical travesty; if we could build a legal case before the kangaroo US Supreme Court, it would be " The Political Establishment versus The American People," and the American People would lose the case. Third, The Trump administration would not exist if the US Congress would have been more diverse and more representative of the real America. Indeed, the time has come for white America to come to grip with the reality, that America is a country of immigrants, and everyone has a stake in it. There is no turning point. No amount of incarceration of minorities, gerrymandering, voter rights violations, etc. can REVERSE this fact. Katherine Lee Bates summarized what America is in her poem ”America the Beautiful” (1863)- "America! America! God shed His grace on Thee-And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea"-It is sad nobody thinks like this anymore.
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