History Repeats Itself?

World has changed a lot in the last few months. The Right wing has become mainstream while the mainstream parties have been pushed to the fringes.

The United States witnessed a kind of watershed moment when it elected Trump, a neo-conservative as a surprise Republican President over Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.

The German Parliament, Reichstag, now has the xenophobic AFD as the third largest party after the recent polls. The right wing has once again made a comeback across several countries such as Netherlands, France, Poland, Cezh republic, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia and not to forget, India.

So, why is the Right making a comeback? For one, the mass exodus of refugees from Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and some African countries have sent shivers down the spines of the Europeans. The Greeks, Italians, Germans who initially welcomed the refugees are now horrified at the prospect of handling millions of starving people at their doorstep.

The potential law and order problems from unemployed refugees has spawned a new sense of insecurity and fear in the minds of those residing in the hitherto safe havens of Europe.

News coverage of dead bodies of refugees attempting to reach Europe illegally in overcrowded boats often interspersed with news flashes about sexual assaults by some refugees on citizens of host nations have spawned the new-found hatred for refugees

However, one needs to view all this with a deep sense of irony, for the Libyan crisis was brought on by the overthrow of dictator Colonel Gaddafi and his clan with active assistance from the French and British secret services.

The removal of the brutal and sadistic dictator didn't end the trouble for the poverty-stricken troubled African country. Instead it resulted in a power vacuum that was filled by rebel warlords fighting for control of the country's oil reserves. Compounding the problem was the rise of ISIS, a brutal and puritanical terrorist horde that rose from the confusion in Syria-Iraq border after the capture and execution of another brutal dictator of Iraq, Saddam Hussein.

With eye on the oil pie, the Americans with active assistance from the French and British have destroyed country after country - Iraq, Syria, Libya, on the pretext of upholding democracy. Yet, it is Europe that has suffered majorly due to American interventions the world over.

The civil war in Syria almost mirrors certain events in history. Not many remember that Spain, once ruled by the Fascist General Franco, faced a similar war that was supported by two great powers on each side - Germany and her allies with Franco while Britain and the US on the side of the Republicans.

Today, the problems are the same but the participants and the countries have changed. Syria has become the new laboratory to test new weapons and war techniques. Germany has been replaced by Russia with allies like Turkey and Iran. The US and Britain continue to support so-called moderate insurgents with links to suspect Islamists.

Going down to the South East Asia, a new player has begun to flex his muscles - China - which has come a long way from the time of the debilitating Opium wars with Great Britain and the Communist takeover in 1949.

Still smarting from the humiliation owing to the Japanese invasion during the Second World War, the country under President Xi Jinping feels the time is to fulfill its global aspirations. The country has had steady set of disputes with almost all its neighbors - Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, India.

China has managed to convince some countries to back-off with combination of threats and dollars. The country's aspirations of domination in the East often reminds one of similar aspirations of the erstwhile Empire of Japan during the 1930's. Again, the situations seem to be similar though the countries seem to have changed.

In Europe, several ex-Soviet countries or those impacted by the former Communist countries have become Russo-phobic. Ukraine, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, have joined the chorus in trying to find spies and propaganda in Russian-based media outlets like RT. Its not surprising that when one looks at history, it is easy to find that it was the mutual hatred for Communist Russia that brought together Nazi Germany and Britain in the 1930s before the two countries become sworn enemies.

In Iran, one find certain similarities with war-time Italy. Benito Mussolini rose to power and proclaimed himself as Il Duce , promising change and rapid industrialization to an impoverished country. Though he had aspirations of a global player, the country could ill-afford such dreams. It was of little surprise that Italy was the first among the three major Axis powers to catapult in the second world war.

However, the biggest threat comes not from any of the countries aforementioned but two countries that are presently governed by men with very little experience in public office. With bloated egos and scant regard for diplomacy, the President of the United States and the Chairman of the Worker's Party of Korea (North Korea) are on a collision course with the threat of using nuclear weapons being frequently rattled like cheap Chinese toys.

The US seems to have started the process of possible invasion of North Korea by setting into motion military exercises with nuclear submarines and warships. Night runs of long-distance B-52 bombers and exercises to track and destroy missile launches appear to be the precursor of the invasion.

The question we all need to ask is: Will history repeat itself or are we going to learn anything at all from history?

Perhaps by this December, we will know.