Is the era of lobbies coming to an end in the US?

By Harun Yahya

The US Presidential Elections of December 8th broke many historical and conventional patterns known in US politics. Until today, the endorsement of the mainstream media was believed to be essential to become a US president. The candidates would try to raise the biggest budget to win the election. The support of a handful of interest groups and investors was a requisite to raise copious amounts of money. No candidate could become the president unless they were backed by financiers. The candidates who could not secure the support of the party hierarchy, ideologists, Hollywood and sports celebrities were seen to be doomed to failure. Election forecasts were widely regarded as the determinants of the winning side.

The support of the groups we listed above was indispensible for the US elections. Besides, when they came together, they formed the "Established Order" in the United States, which was also called 'the Establishment' by many. In other words, it was considered impossible for a candidate who was not recognized, supported and funded by this established order to be elected as the president. In this system, the role of 150 million voters was simply that of a spectator. 

The election race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton disproved all these postulates.  In the 2016 elections, most of the mainstream media, lobbies and celebrities supported Clinton. The Clinton campaign spent about $ 1 billion dollars, while Trump's spending was only half of that amount. While Clinton received 85% of her income from large donors, 70% of the income of the Trump campaign consisted of donations under $ 200. Public opinion surveys have declared Clinton as the president weeks before the election. Many of the ideologists and former administrators of the Republican Party supported Clinton even though they were not from the Democratic Party. The entire cadre of "the Establishment" was on Clinton's side. Yet, despite all these, Trump won. Many interpret this as the American people's triumph against the established order. 

Millions of Americans who voted for Trump call themselves the silent majority. The president-elect also promised he would be the voice of the silent majority throughout the campaign. The established order in Washington was suppressing the voice of the majority. Those who donated the largest amounts of money had the loudest voice. The American decision-making mechanism was surrounded by a deep structure made up of licensed lobbyists, public relations experts, advertisers and lawyers. The duty of the large part of this lobby ring was to put the goals of the interest groups in front of the needs of the American people.  

Following Trump's election, the pressure groups became more active. Name lists for critical positions such as the Director of the CIA, National Security Advisor, and the Secretaries of Justice, Defense and State have started to be published on the media. For the first time in American politics, Trump Transitional Administration put a clear distance between the lobbies and itself. It limited the consultations to the inner circle and forbade the lobbyists from participating. The transitional administration introduced a 5-year lobbying ban to those who will take office in the lower and middle administration levels. The appointment of Mike Pompeo as the Director of the CIA, Betsy DeVos as the Secretary of Education, Nikky Haley as the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Ben Carson as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Jeff Sessions as the Secretary of Justice also shows that Trump will not submit to the pressures of the established system and implement his own policies. 

Following his swearing-in ceremony, Donald Trump will have to make decisions on many weighty matters such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, Syrian, Yemeni and Iraqi civil wars, Russia and Ukraine crises, and NATO's new military planning. The new president's policies will affect the lives of billions of people around the world as much as the lives of the American people.  The Trump management must develop policies founded upon the true American values of piety, humility, understanding, and ​​love. Being the head of one of the most important powerhouses of the world has a heavy historical burden. When Russia and Turkey also support the new American administration to fulfill this responsibility, the world can regain peace and security.

There are hundreds of millions of Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish people from all over the world, who share the same values with the people of the USA. Contrary to the image some circles want to create, the Muslim world is pious just like the American people are. They value family and spirituality, and believe in justice. They love their neighbors. They enjoy loyalty, fidelity and altruism. They abstain from arrogance, greed and selfishness. They help those in need, and wish to spread benevolence. These moral values bring us, those who have faith in God, together on a common ground.  

What befits the Trump administration is not to make any differentiation between the American people and the nations of the world over the next 4 years. Certain lobbies, think tanks and non-governmental organization who believe 'might makes right' only brought oppression to the world. We now need a world where right makes might. 

The entire world, especially the Middle East and the Muslim world are facing similar difficulties with the people of the USA. People of this geography too are suffering at the hands of the established order. The international banking system is preventing retirees from reaping the rewards of their efforts.

People are trying to survive among the speculation crises. To make matters worse, their children, spouses, elders are being killed. Their cities are being destroyed. Bombs are being rained down on them every day. 

We know how radicalism can be defeated. We know how civil wars can be brought to an end. What befits the Trump government is to simply listen to the right voice. The world is too tired to handle new wars and conflicts. The world has been going through the worst of wars for the last two hundred years. It is high time for peace to come.  

Harun Yahya