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Digitalization, Trumpismo, and the end of the liberal world order?

  • Holger Janusch and Daniel Lorberg
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Turning Points
This chapter is in the book Turning Points

Abstract

President Trump challenged American democracy and the liberal world order, raising the question of whether his presidency has contributed to a hegemonic crisis and a potential turning point in the prevailing state and world order. Since neo- Gramscianism addresses the radical change of world order, the conceptual turning points are at its very center. Surprisingly, a clear definition and conceptualization of turning points have been lacking. To address this gap, we propose a neo-Gramscian definition of turning points and structural breaking point to explain the growing crises of hegemony within the United States and the wider liberal world order. The digital revolution is leading to rapid transnationalization and increasing market concentration, making it an important source of change in the power relations between business, labor, and the state. The result is growing social inequality, which, in turn, has fostered political polarization within the United States and contributed to the current hegemonic crisis. Because a hegemonic crisis marks a time when the prevailing order and power relations are subjects for debate, it opens the door for a charismatic leader. Trump can be seen as such a leader who, invoking his charismatic authority, advances an alternative nostalgic image of the existing (world) order. Since US hegemony forms the basis for the expiring world order, the hegemonic crisis and Trumpismo are not limited to America but challenge the wider liberal world order.

Abstract

President Trump challenged American democracy and the liberal world order, raising the question of whether his presidency has contributed to a hegemonic crisis and a potential turning point in the prevailing state and world order. Since neo- Gramscianism addresses the radical change of world order, the conceptual turning points are at its very center. Surprisingly, a clear definition and conceptualization of turning points have been lacking. To address this gap, we propose a neo-Gramscian definition of turning points and structural breaking point to explain the growing crises of hegemony within the United States and the wider liberal world order. The digital revolution is leading to rapid transnationalization and increasing market concentration, making it an important source of change in the power relations between business, labor, and the state. The result is growing social inequality, which, in turn, has fostered political polarization within the United States and contributed to the current hegemonic crisis. Because a hegemonic crisis marks a time when the prevailing order and power relations are subjects for debate, it opens the door for a charismatic leader. Trump can be seen as such a leader who, invoking his charismatic authority, advances an alternative nostalgic image of the existing (world) order. Since US hegemony forms the basis for the expiring world order, the hegemonic crisis and Trumpismo are not limited to America but challenge the wider liberal world order.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. About the Editors VII
  4. Contents IX
  5. Introduction: Turning Points, Typology, and Puzzles 1
  6. I Pushing Back Globalisation? Brexit and Trump
  7. The impact of globalization and Europeanization on the societal foundations of Brexit 17
  8. Brexit: From ever closer union to differentiated integration? 35
  9. The American public and Trump’s trade war with China 53
  10. Digitalization, Trumpismo, and the end of the liberal world order? 75
  11. II Challenging the World Order? China, Russia, and Ukraine
  12. The end of the age of military intervention: Liberal interventionism and global order since the end of the Cold War 99
  13. Crowding out the West? China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian infrastructure investment bank 117
  14. American renewal or decline? The Biden administration, Europe, and the invasion of Ukraine 143
  15. III Calling for Social Change? Norms and Practices
  16. A tipping point in feminist foreign policy in Europe? A constructivist analysis based on the norm life cycle model 169
  17. The turning point that was not: The Arab Spring, realism, and the circularity of Western policies toward the Arab world 189
  18. Emerging and fading practices in the era of the internet: A reflexive approach to analysing intelligence professionals’ changing practices of data collection 209
  19. IV Changing Frozen Policies? Migration, Health, and Lobbying
  20. The 2015 refugee situation as a turning point? Migration- and integration-related debates in the German Bundestag 233
  21. COVID-19 as a potential turning point in German health policy 257
  22. Obstacles on the path to lobbying transparency in Europe: Assessing the German turning point at the end of the Merkel era 279
  23. V Dealing with Crises? Leadership and Market
  24. Re-regulating the European high-tech capitalism? The EU’s digitalization strategy at a turning point after the COVID-19 pandemic 311
  25. The Social Market Economy and institutional development: Change in times of crisis 335
  26. VI Reflecting on Uncertainty? Epistemics and Critique
  27. The emergent discourse on global threats and risks: An analysis of the contemporary empirical evidence extant in scientific journals 351
  28. On the precipice of the unknown: Discussing the paradigm of uncertainty as a political challenge to Western democracies 383
  29. Index 407
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111272900-005

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. About the Editors VII
  4. Contents IX
  5. Introduction: Turning Points, Typology, and Puzzles 1
  6. I Pushing Back Globalisation? Brexit and Trump
  7. The impact of globalization and Europeanization on the societal foundations of Brexit 17
  8. Brexit: From ever closer union to differentiated integration? 35
  9. The American public and Trump’s trade war with China 53
  10. Digitalization, Trumpismo, and the end of the liberal world order? 75
  11. II Challenging the World Order? China, Russia, and Ukraine
  12. The end of the age of military intervention: Liberal interventionism and global order since the end of the Cold War 99
  13. Crowding out the West? China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian infrastructure investment bank 117
  14. American renewal or decline? The Biden administration, Europe, and the invasion of Ukraine 143
  15. III Calling for Social Change? Norms and Practices
  16. A tipping point in feminist foreign policy in Europe? A constructivist analysis based on the norm life cycle model 169
  17. The turning point that was not: The Arab Spring, realism, and the circularity of Western policies toward the Arab world 189
  18. Emerging and fading practices in the era of the internet: A reflexive approach to analysing intelligence professionals’ changing practices of data collection 209
  19. IV Changing Frozen Policies? Migration, Health, and Lobbying
  20. The 2015 refugee situation as a turning point? Migration- and integration-related debates in the German Bundestag 233
  21. COVID-19 as a potential turning point in German health policy 257
  22. Obstacles on the path to lobbying transparency in Europe: Assessing the German turning point at the end of the Merkel era 279
  23. V Dealing with Crises? Leadership and Market
  24. Re-regulating the European high-tech capitalism? The EU’s digitalization strategy at a turning point after the COVID-19 pandemic 311
  25. The Social Market Economy and institutional development: Change in times of crisis 335
  26. VI Reflecting on Uncertainty? Epistemics and Critique
  27. The emergent discourse on global threats and risks: An analysis of the contemporary empirical evidence extant in scientific journals 351
  28. On the precipice of the unknown: Discussing the paradigm of uncertainty as a political challenge to Western democracies 383
  29. Index 407
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