Professor Nader Entessar told Mehr News International Service that Trump’s outreach to American white and middle-class population contributed to his win in the presidential elections, where he eschewed systematically discussing in detail his public policy in favor of touching the sensitive areas to which American plebiscite would readily respond with enthusiasm.
What are the major causes of a Trump win?
There are a litany of reasons for Trump's victory, but I believe one of the main reasons for his victory was his unorthodox campaign and his focus on "the forgotten Americans" and promising to "Make America Great Again." Trump did not focus on detailed policy issues, his was a campaign that targeted the fear and anger that many Americans, especially the white electorate, felt about their government and what is normally referred to as the "Washington Establishment."
How would Democrats lose the elections in the House and the Senate along with a defeat in presidential race to win the White House?
The Democratic Party was already in the minority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. It was almost impossible for the Democrats to gain control of the House; they had hoped to be able to gain the majority in the Senate, but the Democratic defeat at the top of the ticket made this also an impossible task. The Democratic Party’s hold in the majority of the states in the US has been weakening for some time now. A cursory look at the political map of the United States shows how dominant the "Red" states (Republican states) have become in the country.
Analysts believe Trump will largely remain untouched by formal power structures in the US, since he is financially independent. How do you think of it?
I don't quite agree with this assessment. We have to remember that Trump had never held an elective political office. Once in office, Trump will have to recognize how Washington works, which means that he will have to make some compromises, including economic compromises, with powerful economic lobbies. Running as major country requires skills that are different from running one's real estate properties.
What will dominate Trump’s Middle East agenda? And in as with Iran’s JCPOA, will he remain committed to its obligations?
It is too early to assess Trump's foreign policy at this time. We will have to wait and see who Trump selects as major players for his foreign policy team. Some have said that Newt Gingrich, John Bolton or Senator Bob Corker (current chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee) are leading candidates to become the Secretary of State in the new Trump administration. These, especially Gingrich and Bolton, are extreme hawks. Regarding the JCPOA, Trump has been very critical of it and, from time to time, has indicated his plan to tear the document up and renegotiate a new deal. I think the JCPOA will face significant obstacles once Trump is in office. He may not officially discard it, but with a Republican majority in both the House and the Senate, Trump will have an easy time to ignore the JCPOA and support more sanctions on Iran.
Nader Entessar is Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice at the University of South Alabama. He is the author of more than 70 articles and book chapters in scholarly publications and has published six books. Dr. Entessar’s latest publications are 'Kurdish Politics in the Middle East' and 'Iran’s Northern Exposure: Foreign Policy Challenges in Eurasia.'
Interview by: Shabnam Shokouhi, Javad Heirannia
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