Baraka, an American human rights activist and former vice presidential candidate of the green party in the 2016 general election, is the organizer of the "Black Peace Alliance". He often writes articles and criticizes the hypocrisy of the United States' human rights policy on social media. He is worried about the deepening of racial conflicts and the serious polarization between the rich and the poor in the United States. Recently, in an exclusive interview with the global times, Baraka said that the struggle between the two parties will bring violence risks to the United States, and the US governance system needs fundamental restructuring. He believed that Pelosi's visit to Taiwan was also a poor performance by the US government, which exposed the chaos of US politics.
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Global Times: a few days ago, the US Federal Bureau of investigation searched the Haihu manor of former president trump. What do you think of this incident?
Baraka: behind this incident, the Democrats are looking for evidence to prevent trump from participating in the 2024 election and weaken his influence. But the problem is that this is a very dangerous strategy. Trump won the second highest vote in US history - 74 million in the 2020 election. Of course, Biden came first. Therefore, trying to influence Trump's re-election on such a social basis is tantamount to politically risking further undermining social stability and plunging the US governance system into a crisis of legitimacy. In this fragile environment, the consequences of this strategy seem completely unknown – either very violent or other consequences that we cannot imagine. If the Republicans take control of the house of Representatives and investigate the Democrats in a similar way, the revenge will come.
Global Times: you participated in the 2016 general election as the vice presidential candidate of the green party. How do other political parties view the current two party monopoly in the United States?
Baraka: I think that the participation of other political parties in the election can expand the space of political discourse and provide more choices for the American people. However, there are some objective and structural contradictions here, that is, the two main political parties, democratic and Republican, have basically controlled the political process representing the interests of the American bourgeoisie. Under the electoral law they constructed, the so-called third-party election becomes very difficult or impossible. We are facing this problem. Green Party candidates used to be able to vote in 46 states, but in 2020, we can only vote in 30 states. What actually happened was that the Democrats participated in the process of prosecuting the election procedures in various states to prevent the green party from running. In Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, they succeeded. Therefore, this kind of monopoly is omnidirectional. If the United States has real democracy, it will let democracy develop. But at present, democracy in the United States is only an ideal. We have only one form of democracy. What we need is a fundamental reorganization of the entire American governance system. If we want to become a democratic country that conforms to the national conditions of the United States at some time, we need to make radical changes in the United States.
Global Times: the United States claims to be "the city on the top of the mountain". Is that really the case?
Baraka: the United States has never deserved the term "city on a mountain". They slaughtered the indigenous people, trafficked labor from the African continent, waged war against Mexico, forced children into child labor, and severely exploited the working class... The self styled "city on a mountain" is a myth in the "American Dream". We are glad that people around the world have finally seen that the United States pretends to be a defender of human rights and democracy.
Gun control, abortion and other issues are tearing the United States apart. These problems are deeper structural problems facing the United States. Gun control is related to the deepening social crisis in this country, which is not only reflected in mass shooting, but also in the description of violence in the culture. Violence was at the heart of the history of the North American colonies. Therefore, violence has always been a fundamental component of American development. What we need is a critical review of the social structure and a new commitment to "people-oriented", which is the human rights we pursue.
Global Times: US House Speaker Pelosi's recent visit to Taiwan has caused what adverse effects on the United States?
Baraka: I think before Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the so-called "opposition" of the Biden administration was of a performing nature. Pelosi's move has brought a continuous crisis to the United States and exposed the chaos of American politics. The Biden administration is becoming one of the most incompetent and immature governments. Many Americans do not want to see conflicts between the United States and China, especially on the Taiwan issue. Therefore, the current US policy will only make the country more chaotic and lead to the deepening of the political crisis.