A New Era?

In the past two years we have seen the end of many political eras in various countries. This timing is not a coincidence.

The retirement of Tony Blair, the apparent (or pending) fall of Mugabe, Bertie Ahern's notice of resignation, the newly founded presidency of Medvedev and Sarkozy and the upcoming U.S. elections all coincide with each other in a relatively small time period. This pattern can tell us many things about current societal trends.

People are dissatisfied with their current leaders of government. Every culture is now influenced by the diversity prevalent in neighbouring areas. This range is expressed by societal contrasts and comparisons. Our more "open" age of information and technology has effectively changed the political focus of the world. Citizens seems to be looking for a political structure that can adequately address the issues of trade, identity, security and culture that are inherent in this development.

However, can these new regimes be confidently seen to encompass these issues? It is problematic to place all new political entities in one camp or the other. At best, one can say that some of these new leaders understand this diversity, while others do not. Crucially, the success of these administrations will depend on their acceptance of this more transnational doctrine.

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold" and the movement from the centre to an all encompassing political backdrop can only be beneficial.

-The English Student

U.S. Presidential Nominations

After clinching the Republican nomination, John McCain commended his running mates for an honourable and fair process. Unfortunately for him, the "honour" of this contest may be the undoing of his party this year.

Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama have fought a long and protracted competition, moving from coast to coast in a bid to clinch the Democratic nomination for the upcoming U.S. presidential election. At times, this battle has been anything but honourable, with both sides trading blows on a personal level.

The global attention garnered from these often petty attacks has created a worrying situation for any detractor of the Democratic Party. By firmly grasping the majority of media coverage, Obama and Clinton have become the main focal points of this election. The seemingly underhanded techniques of each campaign have ensured that this nomination has basically become the actual presidential election.

But this is not the only advantage gained from the high level of awareness the Democratic candidates have reaped. By drawing attention to their campaigns, the policies and ideals that Obama and Clinton stand for have become accountable and intensely debated. This creates a more transparent version of the political competition and in doing so, the Democrats are assured to emerge with a candidate that has well developed and defensible opinions.

In what is essentially a broken democratic system, it is something of a relief to find at least some accountability.

-The English Student