As Nepal attempts settling down with an interim prime minister, news coming from France is pointing to a crisis of our times which is like a series of volcanic eruptions. Earlier in the week Indonesia and Philippines were both ablaze. As prime minister Francois bayrou faced a crushing defeat in the parliament after just 9 months in office , the centrist space is fast receding. His government was facing criticism over ballooning public debt and deficit. The far right forces of Le Pen smelled victory and went all out against him. The left leaning president could not save the day. The common thread across these is growing inequality and slumping economic growth. Europe hasn’t quite recovered economically from the COVID crisis , while growing political gap with decreasing democratic interaction is hurting much of the developing world. Atop all these, we have a whimsical president in the US. His tariffs have accentuated the economic uncertainty. Trade disruptions could lead to a global slowdown. The legitimacy of the political system is under stress. Indonesia, Philippines, USA, turkey all have seen massive rise in inequality over the past decade.
The entire west Asia and Middle East is war torn. Ukraine war is intensifying even after more than three years, Iran is on a precipice, Syria has fallen, Yemen is being pulverized and the Gaza genocide is not abetting. It has now spilled over into Qatar. Israel has eliminated the entire cabinet of Houthis, and now bombed Qatar, searching for Hamas leaders.
The boiling streets are not just about economic uncertainty or resentment against kleptocratic governments, it’s about the moral deprivation that the regimes have inflicted upon the people. As Gaza has been ordered for complete evacuation, without any exit, the world knows it’s an alibi for total extermination of Palestinians. President trump faced protests in his official dinner. Across much of west, speaking for Gaza has been criminalized. While the governments are assessing power balance the people have to live with the burden of their taxes being spent on genocide.
The neoliberal agenda has been immiserising for the people, stripped of dignity, security, prosperity and now even their right to conscience.
The message for India is sobering. We have seen one of the highest rise in inequality, erosion of institutions and democratic spaces, growing social violence and now repudiation of all values in domestic and international policy.
France: The political crisis is reflecting a deeper moral crisis
