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The Eurasian Politician - Issue 3 (February 2001)
By: Antero Leitzinger, November 2000
George W. Bush Jr. is the next president of the USA. Hardly ever has such a far-reaching decision been made by such a small proportion of voters. Out of some 100 million Americans, 2000 positioned in the right place made up the marginal - that is, not a percentage, or a promille, or a percentage of a percentage, but 0,002 %!
Americans themselves are probably the last to realize, what the effects of this difference will be in a global scale. Although we have been told by the media repeatedly, that it is all about trivialities only - personal style, the use of marijuana or alcohol in the 1970s, or the tailoring of the jackets of the first lady candidates - eventually we will be able to realize, that there were also some essential principal differences that may change history. Perhaps the scandal over the Gore-Chernomyrdin pact will only now be fully developed in the US Senate and ultimately convince people, what a hypocrisy and liability Al Gore’s election would have been.
The Socialist prime ministers of Europe - including Finland’s Socialist woman president - are devastated by the loss of their close ideological ally. Their shocked and undiplomatic reactions have been very much like 20 years ago, when Ronald Reagan’s ability to lead the western world was severely questioned and his personality ridiculed. Nevertheless, Reagan’s success, combined with the preceding victory of Margaret Thatcher, inaugurated a refreshing and prosperous decade for the whole Europe. I always used to consider the US-Soviet ice-hockey game at Lake Placid Olympics in 1980 the exact timing when Soviet professionals lost their game against American college-boys - not only on the ice, but also representing the mindset of mechanically perfected dictatorship against sometimes chaotic and amateurish democracy.
The next decade, that of a Socialist restoration, started right after the dissolution of the Soviet empire in December 1991 - some say, already in August, when Lenin’s statue in Moscow failed to be overthrown, and the remnants of the KGB were reorganized by Boris Yeltsin. Communist rulers were re-instituted in Georgia, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan. A swing to the left followed also in western Europe.
Now, it will be interesting to observe, whether the tide has turned definitely. At least the Chechen freedom-fighters and supporters of Ahmed Shah Masud in Afghanistan have been hoping for a Bush victory. People in Taiwan probably share their relief. The mainland-Chinese government was quick to extend congratulations when it appeared Bush had won, but privately Beijing would prefer continuity with a Gore victory, said Jia Qingguo of Peking University. (CNN 8.11.)
A surprising but, for once, an honest Russian view was presented by Mikhail Gorbachev: "It will be a good thing if pragmatism replaces idealism in both countries. Even a tougher stance from America would mean more clarity, a more pragmatic America." (CNN 8.11.)
Once before has the son of a former president of the USA been elected to the paternal office: John Quincy Adams in 1824, known from the movie "Amistad". Once before has the recount of Florida decided presidency in favour of a Republican with a minority in the national poll: in 1876. But while Samuel Tilden was a non-interventionist free-trade Democrat (later a member of the Cobden Club), Gore is a relative collectivist.
Best regards,
Antero