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Former US president Donald Trump. Picture: REUTERS/CARLOS BARRIA
There are elections coming up in 2024 that are of more than a passing interest to us.
In the US, Donald Trump’s campaign is aimed at staying out of jail. His instigation against the pillars of democracy motivates the members of his cult. This is typical of cult followers, who are prepared to commit political suicide in the process.
As things now stand the chances are that all the court cases against Trump, civil and criminal, will keep his name off the ballot. In that case Nikki Haley will probably be the Republican candidate. She will easily beat Joe Biden.
In SA, the indications are that the big political picture will not change. The ANC will still be in control, either with an absolute majority or as the strongest coalition partner. At community level democracy is showing its muscle as the government of the people by the people. Over time pressure from the grassroots level may reach the surface nationally, as through the vents of a volcano.
Ironically, the strong position of the ANC since 1994 has been a stabilising factor in a country that was deeply divided. We have now reached a stage of more political maturity, which makes a more inclusive political landscape feasible.
In Russia there is another staged election on the cards. Puppet master Vladimir Putin still pulls the strings, and the people still dance to his music. The outcome is a foregone conclusion. However, there is increasing pressure on his leadership, and the vents through which the pressure must rise to the surface are still controlled by the FSB, formerly the KGB. Putin uses the war in the Ukraine to strengthen his position.
In Israel, a court put a spanner in the works of the far-right Benjamin Netanyahu government in its efforts to gain greater power and control. The war keeps him in power for the moment, and it is in his interests to prolong it. Ironically, the human slaughter in Gaza has led to resistance across the globe, including in Israel. The volcano has burst through to the surface. It may finally lead to a two-state solution after more than seven decades.
Overall, the expected shifts in the global political landscape may not have a huge influence on us here at the southernmost tip of Africa. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Dawie Jacobs Waterkloof Marina
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Critical election year
There are elections coming up in 2024 that are of more than a passing interest to us.
In the US, Donald Trump’s campaign is aimed at staying out of jail. His instigation against the pillars of democracy motivates the members of his cult. This is typical of cult followers, who are prepared to commit political suicide in the process.
As things now stand the chances are that all the court cases against Trump, civil and criminal, will keep his name off the ballot. In that case Nikki Haley will probably be the Republican candidate. She will easily beat Joe Biden.
In SA, the indications are that the big political picture will not change. The ANC will still be in control, either with an absolute majority or as the strongest coalition partner. At community level democracy is showing its muscle as the government of the people by the people. Over time pressure from the grassroots level may reach the surface nationally, as through the vents of a volcano.
Ironically, the strong position of the ANC since 1994 has been a stabilising factor in a country that was deeply divided. We have now reached a stage of more political maturity, which makes a more inclusive political landscape feasible.
In Russia there is another staged election on the cards. Puppet master Vladimir Putin still pulls the strings, and the people still dance to his music. The outcome is a foregone conclusion. However, there is increasing pressure on his leadership, and the vents through which the pressure must rise to the surface are still controlled by the FSB, formerly the KGB. Putin uses the war in the Ukraine to strengthen his position.
In Israel, a court put a spanner in the works of the far-right Benjamin Netanyahu government in its efforts to gain greater power and control. The war keeps him in power for the moment, and it is in his interests to prolong it. Ironically, the human slaughter in Gaza has led to resistance across the globe, including in Israel. The volcano has burst through to the surface. It may finally lead to a two-state solution after more than seven decades.
Overall, the expected shifts in the global political landscape may not have a huge influence on us here at the southernmost tip of Africa. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Dawie Jacobs
Waterkloof Marina
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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