The New Xenophobia
Democratic
governments in the West are increasingly losing their bearings. From the
shift toward illiberalism in Poland and Hungary to the Brexit vote in
the United Kingdom and Donald Trump’s victory in the United States’
presidential election, a particularly lethal strain of populism is
infecting societies – and it is spreading.
The appeal of
populism is straightforward. Faced with stagnant wages and a declining
quality of life, people feel frustrated – all the more so when their
leaders keep telling them that things are getting better. Then the
populist appears and promises to shake things up, to defend the
interests of the “people” (though really only some of them), and offers
something arguably more attractive than feasible solutions: scapegoats.
At the top of the
list of scapegoats are the “elites” – established political parties and
corporate leaders. Rather than protecting the “people” from economic
pressure and insecurity, this group, the populist declares, thrives on
the people’s pain. By advancing globalization – by forcing ever-more
openness down the people’s throat – they have accumulated massive
wealth, which they then protect through tax avoidance, offshoring, and
other schemes.
But it is not just
the elites who are blamed. Yes, they have betrayed the people. But one
way they do so is by foisting upon the people equal rights and
opportunities for minorities, immigrants, and foreigners, who “steal”
jobs, threaten national security, and undermine traditional ways of
life.
Trump won the US
presidency partly because of his pledges to deport millions of
undocumented immigrants and ban Muslims from entering the country. The
Brexiteers promised to end free immigration from the European Union.
After the vote, Britain’s Home Secretary Amber Rudd suggested that firms
hiring foreigners should be named and shamed.
Today’s populism
advances a toxic new xenophobia, one that threatens to fracture our
societies. For politicians, it offers an easy means of quickly
transforming people’s fear and powerlessness into an intoxicating mix of
anger and authority. It persuades intimidated (often elderly) voters
that, in the parlance of the Brexiteers, they can “take back control” of
their lives and their countries, primarily by rejecting foreigners.
Demography makes the
new xenophobia particularly dangerous. In much of the West, societies
are becoming increasingly diverse. Hispanics now account for 17.6% of
the US population. One-third of Londoners were born outside the UK. In
France, an estimated 10% of the population is Muslim. And an estimated
20% of Germany’s population have some immigrant background.
In this context, when
politicians campaign for votes by advancing antagonistic and divisive
identity politics, they sow the seeds of animosity, mistrust, and
violence within their own societies. When candidates repeatedly call
Muslims dangerous, for example, no one should be surprised by a surge in
anti-Muslim hate crimes, as has occurred in the wake of both the Brexit
vote and Trump’s victory. Such divided societies require a rising level
of coercion and force to control.
Diversity should be a
strength, one that helps societies to flourish. That is why it is so
important to combat the new xenophobia. One way is by encouraging and
enabling social mixing, interaction, and deliberation among diverse
groups. Extensive psychological research shows
that intergroup contact reduces people’s sense of threat, heightening
the possibilities for building trust across society.
If community centers, schools,
and public locations are places where people of different religions,
cultures, and race meet, xenophobia is less likely to take root. Even
living in an area where others mix can help. This is why the new xenophobia has largely been resisted in Europe’s most diverse cities.
A second way to
combat the new xenophobia is to reinforce the protection of civil
liberties. This means upholding the rule of law, even in the face of
terrorist threats, and ensuring the independence of judges.
Yet, lately, there
have been ominous moves in the opposite direction. Leaders in Hungary
and Poland have been dismantling constitutional protections; France has
used a lengthy state of emergency to suspend rights; and British and
American politicians have publicly denigrated judges. Democracy was
toppled by xenophobes in the 1930s not because of the strength of the
anti-democratic parties, but because of democratic leaders’ failure to uphold their countries’ constitutions.
A third way to fight
the new xenophobia is through innovation. For example, though the
Internet is often viewed as a great equalizer, social media are
contributing to fragmentation. The content to which people are exposed
is filtered, whether through self-selection or algorithms.
The result is echo chambers in
which like-minded people reinforce shared convictions, creating
increasingly polarized silos. But, if social media platforms were
reconfigured in innovative ways, they could have the opposite impact,
creating spaces for citizens from diverse backgrounds to interact.
The threat posed by
the new xenophobia should not be underestimated. Today, no less than in
the past, the rejection of diversity is tantamount to the rejection of
democracy. That is why it must be defended, before its opponents gain
any more ground.
Copyright: Project Syndicate 2017 The New Xenophobia