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The United States has been undergoing a transition for over a decade, the result of accumulated changes in diverse struc-tures, accelerated by the structural crisis marked by the eco-nomic crisis of 2007-2009. Consensuses and stability broke down, and so did the dominant core that articulated the prece-dent historical juncture. Unmet demands stemming from a diversity of social sectors and flows of change undermined the stability of the political establishment and fractured its legi-timacy. United States has been undergoing a transition for over a decade, the result of accumulated changes in diverse struc-tures, accelerated by the structural crisis marked by the eco-nomic crisis of 2007-2009. Consensuses and stability broke down, and so did the dominant core that articulated the prece-dent historical juncture. Unmet demands stemming from a di-versity of social sectors and flows of change undermined the stability of the political establishment and fractured its legitima-cy.
Such a transition made unviable the continuity of the old politi-cal alignment and opened room for “outsiders” and new forms of conducting political affairs. It is within this framework that we should address the rise of candidates, successful or not, like Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. The emergence (or reemergence) of radical groups from both sides of the spectrum is largely the logical outcome of the loss of credibility suffered by traditional figures and institutions. Phe-nomena like political polarization, populist political speech, and the attempt of impeaching a sitting president are then expres-sions of the current development of the political system.
I propose an interpretation of this process as the political rea-lignment that is integral part of historical transitions. At the mo-ment, the future political alignment remains in the making, and the legitimacy of representative democracy remains under question. Different outcomes are possible, and the articulation of a set of conservative forces poses a real threat of the con-figuration of some sort of autocratic regime. A discussion on this subject most consider the systemic nature of society and thus should be cross-disciplinary. That is our goal. |
