Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/714702
14 FUTURE historians may well look upon the present phase of world history as a period of un- precedented political upheaval. In recent years, we have witnessed the flames of revolution spreading from one North African and Mid- dle Eastern country to another; civil war still rages in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere in the region. Tur- key recently experienced an at- tempted coup, with repercussions that are still unfolding… and ten- sions continue to simmer beneath the surface of an uneasy peace in Ukraine. Even in more overtly peaceful parts of the world, there appears to be a sea change washing over global geo-political institutions. The European Union has just been shaken to its core by Brexit, and is currently bracing itself for another referendum, in Italy. And in the United States, the ongoing Presi- dential election campaign has ex- posed deep-seated divisions that may rewrite the entire political script. It is, in brief, a hugely exciting time to be involved in US politics at any level: even as an ambassador to a relatively docile, uneventful place like Malta. But when I meet US ambassador Glenna Kathleen Hill for this inter- view, I am acutely aware that this is my own perspective of the US elec- tion; and I am someone from the outside, looking in from the clean other side of the world. Do Americans feel this prospect of imminent change as keenly as European observers? Is this viewed as a historically atypical Presiden- tial contest in the United States? "It is a very atypical campaign, also from the inside looking out," she begins. "I think we can hon- estly say that we have not seen a campaign like this before, at least not in my memory. Maybe going back further, if you talk to histori- ans, they might disagree. But it has certainly brought out some new candidates, some very new ideas… both from the Democratic and Republican sides. In the primaries in particular, it was very interest- ing to see that there are sections of the American public that like the new ideas, and are very attracted to them and supportive of them." Indeed it is the rise of populist movements within both parties – Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders – that has excited the most inter- est from afar. But there are other examples. "Another symbol of how much change is going on in this elec- tion is that the poll numbers for some of the third and fourth party candidates – which normally are completely ignored, because they get so few votes – have been sig- nificantly higher in this election. At one point in time, the numbers for the Libertarian Party were close to 9%... which is really unheard of. That's very big, for the US. It's not winnable… they are certainly not going to win… but if the poll numbers are reflected in the actual election result, that would impact the bigger parties. Especially if it's a close race…" Nonetheless, Glenna Kathleen Hill predicts that the real substance of the national debate has yet to emerge. "One of the things we have to deal with in the US is that our elec- tions are very long: much, much longer than what you would get in a parliamentary system. But now we're getting into the meat of the campaign; the candidates have been pretty much decided across the board. So hopefully we'll soon start to get into some serious policy discussions as well. I think that up to this point the campaigning has been done in very broad terms; now, there is going to be more of a demand for specifics. It will be in- teresting to see what comes out of the discussion." Even at this early stage, the cam- paign has been markedly different from its predecessors. "There have certainly been some statements in the campaign that have caused concern across the board. I think everyone needs to recognise that this is a campaign, so the candidates are reaching out to a whole variety of people. Some- times the campaign gets heated, and that's not new. That's normal for every campaign…" It would certainly be considered normal by local standards… "You love your politics, that's one thing I've noticed about Malta since I've been here," she replies with a laugh. "But I think we're also seeing some trends that are emerg- ing in the US, that we've seen in other parts of the world as well. Like immigration, and how to deal with it. This has brought out some strong wording …" There is however another aspect that has raised interest, at least in Europe, and it concerns the possi- ble outcome of the election. In the (now seemingly unlikely) event of a Donald Trump win, the difference in Presidential style – as suggested by his performance so far – may well be a very different ball-game from the one other countries are used to playing on. There has even been speculation in the interna- tional press about whether this would impact on America's sta- tus of a widely-recognised global leader. Is this concern felt in the States, too? "I think that America's role as a world leader will not change. The presidency is very important as a directional leader, but it is only one of many institutions in the United States. It is only one level of interaction that the US has with the rest of the world. I think one of the strengths of the US's role in the world is that it is not just interac- tion at government level. There is interaction at commercial level, at the personal level, and on the level of the arts, humanities and sci- ences. We're not interacting only at one level; nor should the world judge our interaction only on one level. They need to look at the whole spectrum. I think the role that we play – our inclusiveness, our desire to reach out to others, to be part of the world as the world progresses… that is not going to change. It is part of the American character." Will the politics of the United States change, however? If I may draw attention to a recent cover of Time Magazine, which portrayed Donald Trump in a (literal) state of meltdown: the fact that his nomi- nation was so divisive – and a simi- lar division was felt on the Demo- crat side too – suggests that the Republican Party as a whole may split, or radically change. Does the US ambassador predict that this election might reconfigure the pre- sent realities of US politics? "I think what you noted is that there are groups on both sides seeking change… and I think we've already seen they are having an effect. I noted when the Demo- crats had their national conven- tion there were certain rules about electing candidates that – because of some of the initiatives of the Sanders campaign – have now been changed. I thought that was very interesting. So I think we are seeing that these voices for change are having an impact. Obviously we are a democracy, so the ques- tion now becomes: which of these voices are going to win?" Kathleen Hill will not, however, be drawn into making predictions. "I think there is one thing that is really important; I hope we will show the world that change can be achieved peacefully through a democratic process. This is our de- mocracy in its full force. So far it's been with debate, it's with words. In November, it will be with votes. At that point we'll see which direc- tion the people of the US have cho- sen to turn…" As for the prospect of lasting im- pact on one or both parties, she suggests that this is to be expected under the circumstances. "What I would say is that, as you noted, people are demanding change. And if the parties want to keep up with the people, they have to respond to that demand. I think we are already seeing this reflected in the election campaign, and I think we'll see it more after the election. As people do a 'les- sons learnt' process, and they look at what was really important as they went through the election, I think we'll see both parties doing a deep think about what direction they want to go into. And this is not unusual. The two parties have evolved over time; they have taken on different characters as their leaders changed. I do think there are strong, strong tides of change going through the US right now." Meanwhile speculation is rife about what these changes portend for international relations. Russia, for instance, seems to be taking a keen interest in the American elec- tion… to the extent that it is sus- pected of trying to sabotage Clin- ton's campaign. Given the likelihood of a Clinton victory, should the world be brac- ing itself for a second Cold War? "It's hard to say how it is going to have an impact on bilateral rela- tions with different countries. I've heard several former presidents say: 'you come into the Oval Of- fice after an election, having won the election and with an election high – and then you sit down at the Oval Office desk, and you start to look at the issues, and start get- ting all the information that you weren't getting before… and your plans change'. Several ex- presi- dents have noted this. "It is one thing to go through a campaign; it is quite another to sit down and actually implement pol- icy. So I think that in the end, it's a case that the president determines the direction of the ship… but Interview By Raphael Vassallo maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 AUGUST 2016 There have certainly been some statements in the campaign that have caused concern across the board. I think everyone needs to recognise that this is a campaign, so the candidates are reaching out to a whole variety of people. Sometimes the campaign gets heated, and that's not new CONCERN Change is on its way… DEMOCRACY I think there is one thing that is really important; I hope we will show the world that change can be achieved peacefully through a democratic process. This is our democracy in its full force