As identity tends to be more permanent and less fluid than “normal” political positions, this type of political group finds it more difficult to make concessions on issues that concern the identity of its members. The assumption is that the identity that unites adherents to a political group generates similar interests and preferences. This identity can be religious, ethnic, regional, linguistic, sexual, generational, rural, urban, etc. In addition, many of these new players entice followers who are attracted to the idea of belonging to political organizations made up of people with whom they share a certain identity. Ironically, to retain followers and be electorally competitive, traditional political parties must also adopt positions shaped by anti-politics. Political parties now face a plethora of new competitors (“movements,” “collectives,” “tides,” “factions,” NGOs) whose agenda is based on the repudiation of the past and who peddle in the rhetoric of intransigence. The rise of anti-politics – or the total repudiation of politics and traditional politicians – is another important catalyst for polarization. Polarization is not only caused by belligerent tweets and resentment over inequality. And, of course, this favors sectarianism and makes it more difficult to reach agreements.īut there is more. Everything is either very white or very black. Such brevity privileges extremism, since the shorter the message, the more radical it must be for it to “go viral.” On social networks there is no space, nor time or patience for grays, ambivalence, nuances, or the possibility for conflicting viewpoints to find common ground. Social networks such as Twitter and Instagram only allow short messages. The popularity of social networks and the crisis of journalism and the traditional media also help to encourage it. To what do we owe this fragmentation of so many societies into diverse groups who are completely intolerant of one another? The increase in economic inequality, growing economic uncertainty, and a sense of social injustice are undoubtedly some of the causes of political polarization. Polarization is a pandemic that has gone global and is now manifesting itself in most of the world’s democracies. Now, political rivals often mutate into irreconcilable enemies, which makes agreements, compromises or coalitions impossible. Indeed, in all likelihood this type of government paralysis and chaos could soon become the norm.īefore, democratic governments managed to reach agreements with their opponents or could organize coalitions that allowed them to make decisions and effectively govern. The closing of important parts of the US government is only the latest and most-revealing consequence of the spreading disease. This does not mean that polarization didn’t exist before, only that it is becoming much more acute and could prove deadly, as evidenced by all these extreme examples of governmental dysfunction. What’s also clear is that the disease is spreading and is very contagious. The root cause of the disease is the polarization of society and, by extension, its politics. The closing of important parts of the US government is only the latest and most-revealing consequence of the spreading diseaseĪll these countries seem to be suffering from a type of “political autoimmune disease”– as part of each society wages war on the rest of the social body. In the coming months Benjamin Netanyahu could either be re-elected or sent to jail. In Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, the prime minister faces indictment for corruption, fraud and other charges. Meanwhile, the Spanish prime minister wasn’t even elected to office thanks to his party enjoying a parliamentary majority, but instead arrived there with the help of a tortuous legislative process. It appears that the Italians have decided to see what it’s like when government mismanagement is pushed to its most extreme limits. Her French colleague faces a surprising social uprising by the now famous “Yellow Vests.” Italy, the country with the seventh-largest economy in the world, is now governed by a fragile coalition whose leaders are so diametrically opposed and whose declarations are so perplexing that we are left not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. Angela Merkel, who was until recently the most influential European leader, is heading toward retirement. The government of the world’s superpower is at a standstill, while the government of a former superpower – the United Kingdom – sits paralyzed after suffering a barrage of self-inflicted wounds. A “Yellow Vest” demonstration in Nancy, France.