Prof. Wang Yong:The Intertwined Effects of Political Violence and Political Polarization are Creating a Vicious Cycle in the U.S.

Prof. Wang Yong (Professor of the School of International Studies and Director of the Center for American Studies@Peking University; iGCU Academic Committee Member)recently published an op-ed discussing political polarization and political violence in the U.S.To read more in Chinese, please visit:https://opinion.huanqiu.com/article/4Ic6i494pF4

Prof. Wang argues that the intertwined effects of political violence and political polarization are creating a vicious cycle in the U.S.,placing the country in a political dilemma and leading to a major governance crisis.Prof. Wang observes that the political polarization in the U.S. reflects the deep divisions in values, beliefs,and ideologies between liberals and conservatives within the U.S. political spectrum.This political polarization has increasingly profound impacts on U.S. elections and legislative process in the U.S.,with political parties prioritizing their interests over public or national interests in their competition for power.As political polarizationes calates into violent forms, Prof. Wang reckons that it underscores growing societal desperation about the effectiveness of U.S. democracy, where many believe that their concerns cannot beadequately addressed through legislative process or elections.

Prof. Wang attributes the rise of political polarization and violence to the stark rich-poor divide and the feelings of hopelessness for social change.He adds that the political elites show little to no interest in driving genuine social change or wealth redistribution. Instead,they divert domestic social conflicts outward and promote radicalism to prevent fundamental social changes from occurring. Looking ahead,Prof. Wang warns that if the current situation remains unaddressed,political polarization and violence in the U.S.are likely to worsen.