Political scientists here said Thursday there should be no cause for concern among Barbadians at this stage regarding Wednesday’s violent insurrection at the United States Capitol. But they agree that a close watch should be kept on Washington over the next 13 days leading up to the handing over of presidential power.
Following a speech in which President Donald Trump repeated baseless claims that the November presidential election had been stolen, pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building the seat of American political power while inside, the electoral college votes confirming Biden’s victory were to be confirmed by members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
One woman was shot dead by police guarding the iconic dome-capped citadel while three others died in apparent medical emergencies when thousands broke into the building and trashed offices.
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to take over from Trump on January 20 when he is to be sworn in.
Expert political scientist Dr George Belle told Barbados TODAY: “I don’t think Barbados has to be concerned, I think the people of the United States have to be concerned. I think the next 13 days could be extremely dangerous for them.”
Explaining that Trump, who has been often described as erratic, still had a lot of power and was behaving in an “irrational way”, Belle said, “you can’t really be sure about what could be done next”.
The retired lecturer said he believed yesterday’s attack on the US Capitol was deliberate and “in a sense, almost precise” given the time it occurred.
Adding that it should not be confused or compared to the revolutionary period in American politics, Belle said the 18th century Revolutionary War for US independence was one in which people were struggling to overthrow a tyrant – King George III.
“But this is a man (Trump), with potentiality to be a tyrant – attacking democratic, progressive development within the American system – this is right-wing, conservative reactionary politics, mobilized and manipulated by a person who identifies very strongly with some of the most right wing and backward positions that you could find in politics,” said Belle.
With some 13 days still to go before the inauguration of Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first black American and woman to hold the office, there are concerns that the chaos seen at the Capitol could return and escalate. This has led to the call by some US lawmakers for the use of the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution or impeachment to remove Trump from office.
Belle said: “I would say you can’t put anything beyond him in the next 13 days. Therefore he is extremely dangerous right now and I think that is the proper recommendation that he be removed from office immediately.”
He said what happened on Wednesday in Washington showed that Americans had “deep grievances” with the system, adding that “I do not believe when people say ‘this is not America’ that that is entirely true. This represents a real part of what America is”.
He said while it might not be the majority, there have always been elements of that society that have been “disillusioned with what is called the American dream”.
He explained those individuals believed the notion of the American dream has been breached, adding that a lot of the people that are now supporting Trump are people who have not been able to achieve what they expected to achieve as per the American dream idea.
Belle said: “They are looking for a champion to deal with the status quo that they feel has done this to them. That champion has to be able to survive against what they consider to be the liberal elite who would normally take them down on the basis of their non-conformist behaviour.
“Trump fits that profile because he seems to be someone who can defend himself against the elite and he is manipulative enough to make use of that grievance within a section of the American population – a lot of it white and working class.”
Political scientist Dr Kristina Hinds said while she did not see the need for Barbadians to be concerned about a one-off event, she believed if there should be an increase in the unrest that could destabilize the US and that could have an effect on Bridgetown.
But Dr Hinds quickly pointed out that she did not see US lawmakers allowing such behaviour to take root since they had too much at stake “in claiming they are a beacon of democracy and in attempting to hold on to global power”.
Giving her assessment of Wednesday’s insurrection, Dr Hinds said she believed Trump had incited what has been lying below the surface for some time.
“So this is not something of Donald Trump’s making. I would say it is something that he has shown us exists in the United States of America, and that should be brought under control,” she told Barbados TODAY.
“Whether or not those in power have an interest in bringing it under control is another issue, and what we see from the Trump presidency is that politicians can gain politically by stoking the fears and concerns and relying on these right wings and extremist types of groups in the United States of America and that is very dangerous.”
(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)
