Could the world’s largest democracies descend into sectarian violence?
Over a year ago, I wrote about how Trump reminds me of a politician I know from my youth, Bal Thackeray: Bal Thackeray adopted a hodge-podge of ideological positions. His party controlled trade unions while he openly admired strongmen and dictators (including Hitler). The one constant throughout his career was the use of ethnic and religious divisions. His real talent was tapping into economic discontent, frustration and anger at corruption. He rose to prominence by fomenting resentment towards “immigrants” from other states in India. Bombay had been a melting pot for decades, attracting people from all over India who spoke a … Continue reading →