OP-ED: Trump’s loss is a win for anti-authoritarianism globally

Donald Trump has lost the US election of 2020. This is a welcome change of pace for the United States. After four years of unabated Trumpism, this win for Joseph R Biden Jr is a win for America.

But this defeat of Donald Trump is also a win for anti-authoritarians globally. In office, Trump has shown signs of being a strongman authoritarian. From demanding a military parade to meddling with the structures of American democracy, Trump has been the icon for illiberalism around the world.

However, now Trump is gone, and this is a cause for celebration for anti-authoritarians around the world. The downfall of Trump is an example for people fighting for justice globally that the brand of authoritarianism in their country can also be brought to its knees.

Fighting against authoritarianism can be a daunting task. It often seems that there is no way forward. It seems that the way forward is too steep to be crawled. It seems that victory is too far to ever be accomplished. In those circumstances, a win for anti-authoritarians anywhere seems like an inkling of hope for them as well.

Although Trump has been defeated through the electoral method, and for many fighting for justice around the world, that is not an option for coopted elections that are skewed in favour of the authoritarians. Still, this defeat of Trump gives hope to the millions fighting for their rights.

Trump is still trying to clench on to power by accusing Biden of voter fraud. Although much of these allegations seem baseless and Trump’s childish Twitter posts about not conceding defeat mean that there may be much more drama ahead of us regarding a peaceful transition of power, Biden is sure to come to office as the 46th US president.

It may be true that Trumpism may linger amid the conservative voter base of Trump, as Sarwar Jahan Chowdhury predicted in the Dhaka Tribune recently, but it is sure to be cornered as Biden becomes the new president. However, the fight against Trumpism is an ongoing battle that the Americans must invest in if they want a future free of authoritarianism.

With Trump clenching on to power and leaving a permanent mark on the conservative voter base, it seems challenging that Biden’s win will completely dismantle the framework of authoritarianism that has been built up by Trump and his voter base, but it is a challenge that Biden must face up to.

Overall, it seems that an era of authoritarianism that was Trump’s presidency is coming to an end. But even though there are looming concerns about the transfer of power and there is a possibility that conservative politics in the US has shifted to the far right for a long time, Biden’s coming to power will be welcomed by the world as some sort of gift from above.

For millions of people fighting for their rights and justice around the world, this will be a ray of hope that authoritarianism can be beaten in one way or the other.

Anupam Debashis Roy is a writer and researcher. He can be reached at [email protected]