Latest news with #polarization
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
If You Were Cut Off For Not Supporting Trump, We Want To Hear Your Story
America has become increasingly polarized in the last decade, and much of the blame, IMO, goes to one man: President Donald Trump. Trump's divisive policies and rhetoric have torn apart friendships, communities, and families. The cult-like behavior from many of his followers has led many people to cut off Trump supporters from their lives. This is something we've covered — but now we want to hear from people who themselves were cut off for not supporting Trump. Related: What Type Of Engagement Ring Is Perfect For You? Plan Your Wedding To Find Out Do you have a family member who stopped speaking to you because you did not vote for Donald Trump? Related: Which Sea Creature Are You? Order At A High-Class Restaurant To Find Out Maybe a friendship of many years ended because you disagreed about Trump's tariffs. Perhaps a partner even broke up with you because you pointed out misinformation or called out misogyny in the current administration. Whatever happened, we want to hear about it. Tell us who cut you off and how it went down in the comments below — or via this anonymous form — and you could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post. Also in Community: Wanna Know Which Disney Princess Is Your 100% Personality Twin? Just Eat A Bunch Of Desserts To Find Out Also in Community: There Are 6 Universal Wedding Dress Aesthetics — Here's Your Best Fit Also in Community: I'll Be Really Impressed If You Can Get 15/15 On This Really Hard World Capital Quiz
The National
4 days ago
- Business
- The National
Back to square one: Lebanon's local elections have taken the country in the wrong direction
Lebanon recently finished the last round of its municipal elections, and the message was not reassuring. Lists backed by the country's sectarian political parties were largely victorious. This anticipates a period of continued polarisation at a time when Lebanon needs to be unified around a project to benefit from the changing dynamics in the Middle East. Writing in the US-based International Policy Digest, Mohammad Fheili, executive in residence at the American University of Beirut, expressed a more general mood in Lebanon about where the country was going. Commenting on US President Donald Trump's recent tour of the Middle East, Mr Fheili noted that 'Lebanon [was] conspicuously absent from the conversation. Lebanon wasn't simply left off the agenda. It seems to have vanished from it altogether'. The mood among leading parties inside Lebanon seems blithely detached from the broader shifts in the region. The main Christian political party, the Lebanese Forces, took pride in its victories in the towns of Jounieh and Zahleh, while doing well in other Christian bastions. For the party's leader, Samir Geagea, this bodes well for parliamentary elections next year, when the Lebanese Forces hope to form an even larger bloc than the one they have today. Of particular urgency for Mr Geagea is not only to marginalise the Free Patriotic Movement led by Gebran Bassil, but also to push back against any potential electoral challenge by candidates supported by President Joseph Aoun, whom Mr Geagea quietly regards as a rival. Candidates backed by Hezbollah and the allied Amal Movement did well in the south and in the Baalbek-Hermel regions, but that was expected. Following the recent military defeat of Hezbollah by Israel, it was not likely that voters would oppose the party, displaying divisions that would only compound the Shiite community's setbacks because of the war. Similarly, in other areas, candidates backed by the political class did well. This was less visible in the Sunni community, given that Saad Hariri, once the dominant communal representative, failed to engage with the elections. However, renewed Saudi interest in Lebanon, albeit limited, and the downfall of the Assad government in Syria have helped revive a community that had often felt sidelined during the years of Hezbollah's hegemony. Yet if the elections were largely interpreted in domestic political terms by the sectarian political parties, Mr Fheili's doubts were reaffirmed when it comes to the region. A fragmented country, led by self-interested political parties focused on short-term gains to secure communal ascendancy, is hardly one optimally prepared for regional transformations. There may be exceptions to this. As my colleague Maha Yahya of Carnegie has noted, Mr Trump's decision to lift sanctions on Syria may have positive repercussions on Lebanon's banking lobby, which has systematically blocked financial reforms, fearing that banks may be forced to bear the greatest burden of losses from the financial collapse of 2019-2020. Today, if reconstruction resumes in Syria, Lebanon's banking sector anticipates playing a major role in the process. However, this can happen only if it agrees to a restructuring, allowing banks to refloat themselves. Until now, there has been resistance in the sector, both because there has been no agreement over who – banks, the state, or the central bank – would cover the largest share of losses and because restructuring may eliminate several banks. The reality is that many nations appear to have lost patience with Lebanon, which over the years has thwarted numerous efforts to reform its economy. The country is a graveyard for new approaches, as it remains under the thumb of political, financial and commercial cartels that unfailingly shoot down most ideas aiming to break a debilitating stalemate. Yet the message in Mr Trump's visit to the region was fairly evident. He seeks a world in which economic relations and self-interest prevail, but also, it seems, one in which China, Russia and the US have their spheres of influence. If that's his vision, the Middle East will remain an area of competition between the US and China, which implies that the countries of the region have much to gain by positioning themselves between rival superpowers. Yet Lebanon, once the quintessential middle-man country, is devoid of ideas, and is struggling with a geopolitical situation that is catastrophic. Israel's regional strategy has shifted to one of enhancing its security by fragmenting its Arab neighbours, and acting, or planning to act, with impunity inside their territories. This could be fatal for Lebanon. In light of this, Lebanon must press forward in its dialogue with Hezbollah to secure the group's disarmament. Only then will it be able to free the south of Israel's occupation and normalise the situation enough to think strategically about its regional place. This would reassure outside countries that it is progressing enough for them to provide vital foreign investment. But even that may not be enough if Lebanon doesn't overcome its incapacitating sectarian factionalism. Unless this happens and the Lebanese come together to shape a common vision for the future, the country will remain an afterthought – a place bleeding its youth to the advantage of more vibrant societies. Like a dried flower, it will be both beautiful and dead.
Washington Post
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Romania could be next to elect a right-wing populist: What to know
BUCHAREST, Romania — It might be Romania's most consequential election since the fall of communism, when the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife were shot by a firing squad. Romania today is a volatile, highly polarized country; its social media wild, its online political space riddled with antisemitism, gay-baiting and conspiracy theories.
Forbes
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
3 Lessons For Leading Through Uncertain Times
Clinical psychologists tell us that unpredictability fans public stress and anxiety. This anxiety in turn, according to the 2025 Gallup poll on world happiness, has yielded the biggest drop in public happiness scores in the last 15 years among US and European country populations, and inflamed socio-political polarization. It would be hard to argue that we are not in a period of heightened unpredictability and polarization today. In these uncertain and deeply troubling times leaders are looking for the right voice, often not knowing how to show up. Some hide, avoiding the anxiety of those they lead. Others, trying to sound confidently reassuring, risk being perceived as insensitively dismissive of legitimate reasons for widespread anxiety coursing through their companies, civic organizations, communities, even families. Still others fan legitimate fears by wringing their hands and simply shining a light on the uncertainty. Many leaders I speak with these days, unlike any other time in my years of supporting public and private sector leaders around the world, tell me they simply don't know how to behave. They can't ignore widespread anxiety without seeming callous or clueless. Neither can they simply embrace anxiety without exacerbating the very anxiety those relying on them are hoping they can relieve. Much has been written about successful leadership through other troubled periods of history. But today's leadership challenges come with new dimensions unique to an era of instantaneous and widespread mis/disinformation and deep-seated polarization and fear of an uncertain future. Unfortunately, there's not an extensive playbook on leadership through today's leadership challenges. However, successful leadership through periods of deep uncertainty needs to follow at least three simple lessons. First, effective leaders must be visible and empathetic in times of crisis and deep uncertainty. Leaders should acknowledge the legitimate reasons their followers have to be anxious, fearful, even angry. And leaders need to authentically share their own anxiety and inability to predict the ultimate outcome of much of the uncertainty troubling them and their constituents. This often goes contrary to conventional wisdom about leaders needing to project self-assurance, clarity, and confidence in the prescription needed to address the maladies affecting those they lead. But in the midst of profound uncertainty and genuine pain and dislocation afflicting many, to convey confidence in addressing a highly volatile and fundamentally uncertain future would be inauthentic, and likely to be seen as such. And 'authenticity' is table-stakes for any trusting relationship. Yet, in the words of Vince Lombardi, 'Everything you say should be true'…even if '…not every truth should be said.' Second, in periods of uncertainty and distress, leaders should avoid the temptation to behave as if they have the antidote to the anxieties…. real or imagined…. of those they lead. But how can you have clear answers to questions swirling around a vortex of chronic uncertainty? I recall my own experience as a CEO at the start of another period of turbulence and uncertainty when the global financial crisis hit in 2007. Rather than presume my leadership team and I had all the answers, we enlisted broad support from throughout the organization, asking everyone to put their ears to the railroad track to help alert us both to risks ahead, as well as possible solutions. This 'all hands on deck' approach was critical to helping us to get through the global financial crisis not just without a reduction in force, but while actually achieving profitable growth. Empowering one's followers to summon up their creativity and insight to work with leadership to address the problems at hand not only helps relieve anxiety, but also delivers real value in solving the problems. But this approach requires commitment to relentless and continuous communication across the whole enterprise. Finally, since uncertainty generally makes delineating clear outcomes impossible, it is all the more important to outline the principles which will guide decision-making through the maze of ambiguity. If organizational purpose and principles were not completely evident during good times, they absolutely must be clear during times of challenge. Leaders must provide clear and consistent messaging about how they will be guided in the decisions taken as they move through the minefields of uncertainty. This clear expression of principles will help provide guideposts to how the future will evolve, not only relieving some of the anxiety, but also generating a sense of shared purpose and commitment central to delivering that future.
