The biggest political questions of our time

The previous decade was rough, at many levels. This new decade, the 2010s, brings some hope. However, the risks remain on the upside — politically, globally, personally and so on. The 1990s were said to be a lost decade — Adam Roberts thinks the 2010s might be “decadent”. The Americans are suggesting that this decade will be worse than the previous one: recent polls show that Americans are less optimistic about the future than they were at the beginning of 2000. It might be that many people, globally, share this sentiment. It is safe to assume that Haitians are among those that are less optimistic about this decade. The deplorable attack on the soccer team of Togo recently might also give many the impression that this decade is no better than the previous decade and that it might actually be worse if the events of the past 20 days or so are anything to go by.

To start with, 2009 — besides the global economic recession — brought with it two major political events, at least for the two countries (ie United States and South Africa) that I spent considerable time in during 2009. In both countries, new presidents were inaugurated. The inauguration of President Barack Obama in United States and that of President Jacob Zuma were fundamental in the sense that it had appeared unlikely that these two powerful men would take oath for higher office. Their role in global affairs and their respective domestic matters would undoubtedly shape developments pertaining to the human condition for this decade. Interestingly, their respective popularities are going opposite directions — Zuma’s popularity is shooting up while Obama’s popularity is plummeting. This might also be a function of their respective political parties and the conduct of respective opposition parties: The African National Congress (ANC) remains firm while the Democratic Party remains shaky and the Republican Party strategy seems to be to make Obama look like he is under siege while in South Africa the Democratic Alliance is fighting the ANC on all issues. The two men in question face trying times as their respective countries are not doing as well — Zuma is managing endless service delivery protests while Obama has too much on the table for the reform programme. In addition, their respective prowess would be tested relatively soon: South Africa has local government elections next year while the United States has a mid-term election later this year.

At a global level — largely as a result of the global economic recession — a “major shift”, as Eric Hobsbawm puts it, occurred or was cooking. Hobsbawm, the oldest pre-eminent historian alive, argued that “only one thing is already clear (as a result of the global economic recession) — a major shift away from the old north Atlantic economies to south and, above all, East Asia (is taking place)”. In my rejoinder in the Mail & Guardian (November 20 2009), I argued that, in essence, a new world order was in the making. I argued that there is an emergence of the new coalescing forces — a very distinct characteristic of the current times. I made a point that for the first time, after about 20 years, the unipolar world is clearly the thing of the past — very different players are coalescing, globally, to bring about the new world. The debate whether there is indeed a new world order in the making is still open. It does seem, however, that there is sea change regarding efforts being made globally to refocus the attention to improving lives of the people or attempts to circumvent the disasters that have halted human progress in the recent past.

With regards to the African continent, 2009 was another bad year in the political landscape. The Government of National Unity in Zimbabwe remains fragile largely because of disagreements between the main political parties over which party should steer certain crucial government departments, among other things. There was a coup in Madagascar. Once again these two particular political developments in Zimbabwe and Madagascar have further exposed the weakness of the Southern African Development Community. And other negative political developments in other parts of Africa — including in Guinea, Sudan and parts of Nigeria as well as the delicate political settlement in Kenya — further exposed the weakness of the African Union and its associated structures.

In one of his most powerful moral tales — Hard Times — Charles Dickens depicts a world that is far more complex for his protagonist. Thomas Gradgrind is a man of “facts” and this is captured in the novel but perhaps more succinctly when Gradgrind, a principal, instructs his colleagues that “now, what I want is facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts. Facts alone are wanted in life … ” The environment characterised in Dicken’s Hard Times is not very different from the environment that the world confronts, especially during the previous decade. The consequences are yet to filter through, at least for the developing world. The hardships that many have had to endure because of factors such as (1) governments taking back-seats in respective economies or rather the market taking precedence (2) citizens losing their voice and (3) poor race relations are yet to subside in many parts of the world.

The difficult questions tackled in Dicken’s Hard Times remain broadly relevant for the global human society today and the “facts” are not there to absolve humanity in tackling the life-long and human-made challenges that cause so much harm to the many. Among the many pressing political questions of our hard times, the challenge of poverty and underdevelopment is still by far the most disturbing one — especially as we now know that more people are going to be poorer due to the global economic recession. It is estimated that about 100 million more people will be living in extreme poverty due to the recession. Linked to the challenge of poverty and underdevelopment is the pressing matter of inequality — signs are that inequality will also shoot up as a result of the global economic recession.

The second, not in the order of importance per se, biggest political question of our hard times is poor race relations. It would seem that the advances made in improving race relations have lost momentum. For instance, the recent incident in Australia where an Indian student is reported to have been set alight in Melbourne, as part of country-wide attacks targeted especially towards Indians in Australia. Another recent racial incident is in southern Italy where African immigrants are attacked by locals accusing them of taking jobs. Of course there were also similar incidents in South Africa with Zimbabweans (and other Africans) targeted. Racism and racial profiling remain the most challenging cancer wearing out humanity. The stadiums in Europe are still platforms where players of African origin endure racial slurs in football matches and also through their everyday interactions. Matters of race should, therefore, not be trivialised.

The last big question of our hard times is how much role should the state play, versus the market, in respective societies. The previous decade answered this question. However, it is now clear that the answer was a recipe for disaster as demonstrated by the global economic recession. Linked to this question, is the notion of the role that the citizenry should play in matters that impact on them. Citizens, globally, lost the voice — the market overtook both the general citizenry and the state. In essence, the world embraced appalling social processes which meant that the market rules.

These questions, though perhaps not new per se, present an agenda that this decade would most likely be judged on. Although, arguably, the world has seen major improvements in the human condition in the last few decades, it would seem that all the efforts to further improve the human condition have stalled. As this decade begins, humanity is called upon to face up on its errors. The “facts” that Gradgrind talks of do not exist. What exists is the realisation that we have erred and make bold to correct the errors we have made, for we are all imperfect. It is in this context that we should perhaps dedicate this brand new decade to something better, something like “global civics”. Change is happening, albeit slowly and it is not given that the change which is taking place will address the big political questions alluded to above. Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point offers us some insights on how we should bring about the tipping points in our respective societies and in the world at large — perhaps we need a new moral compass that could decisively reshape the social processes that are the fundamental underlying cause of the many problems confronting humanity. It is in this context that the notion of “global civics” has an overwhelming appeal. As a former fellow Yale World Fellow Hakan Altinay puts it: “In an increasingly interdependent world, we need a corresponding framework to put our mind at relative ease. Part of that reference framework has to be a global civics, a system of conscious responsibilities which we are ready to take on after due deliberation, and the corresponding rights that we are ready to claim. We all need to ask ourselves what responsibilities toward other human beings we are personally ready to commit to. We then ought to discuss our working answers with our friends and colleagues … ”

2010 is likely to be a better year, on average. This ensuing decade could be better, on average. For Southern Africa, the Fifa Soccer World Cup will bring with it much-needed economic activity. For Africa as a whole, many countries in Africa would celebrate their 50th anniversary of independence and Africa would have almost 10 presidential elections. The changing world order that seems to be taking place might bring with it better focus on critical issues pertaining the human condition. The recession is subsiding. The fundamental issue, however, is how could we shape positive developments so that they address the main challenge facing humanity. The pressing questions of our hard times need urgent attention. Similarly, the fundamental question that Altinay poses could be a good starting point as we grace this new decade — what responsibilities toward other human beings we are personally ready to commit to? This is an ideal entry point because we do not have the “facts” that Gradgrind believed in, which were the ultimate cause of his disillusionment and demise.

Let 2010 be great. Let this decade be better than the previous one.

Happy New Year!