A global perspective to the 2016 election

In ancient history–before 2012, say–American presidential elections were sometimes reasoned, somber affairs. The 2016 campaign will not be remembered as one of those. Donald Trump has upended the entire cycle, channeling voters’ unabashed anger and fear into a new strain of hypernationalism that has even leaders of his own Republican Party saying he must be stopped. Hillary Clinton has seen yet another White House bid thrown off course by an unexpectedly powerful primary foe. Whatever the eventual result, 2016 seems likely to herald a rare break with historical trends, a moment people will look back on and say: that mattered.

This election is first and foremost an American affair, but the outcome matters to everyone the world over. Live on a dune somewhere east of Morocco? Ted Cruz’s pledge to make the sand glow might be of interest to you. Work on the Foxconn production line in Shenzhen? Clinton’s flip-flops on the trade deal with Pacific countries could affect your plans to work until you can save enough to buy a property in your parents’ village.

The American presidential race is, in a sense, taking place all over the world. “Special Relationship”, a new podcast from Mic and The Economist, looks at this election as a world event. We will often linger closer to home, dropping in on correspondents at campaign rallies, talking to voters, dissecting the numbers that throw some light on what is going on in this most unusual of cycles. The first episode of “Special Relationship” looks at how other countries have responded to terrorist attacks on their soil, and looks at how fears about terrorism have shaped the campaign so far. The idea is then to stand back a bit and ask whether what is happening in this race is really so different from the politics of other countries. Sometimes the answer to that seems surprising.

In France, the left-wing government responded to terrorist attacks in December by imposing a national state of emergency, which is still in place now. So far, despite all the hostility towards Muslim refugees by Republican state governors before and after the San Bernardino shootings, America has largely maintained its pre-existing balance between security and civil liberties. This is hard stuff politically. Show us a candidate who can explain that terrorism is both real and exceptionally rare, who can reassure voters without announcing some useless initiative that will not make Americans any safer and we will show you someone who deserves to be president.

If nothing else, this campaign is a reminder of a fundamental truth: American elections are, for anyone who likes democratic politics, the big time. The money spent on campaigning, the data-driven ground games, what Kremlin operatives refer to admiringly as the “political technology” — everything is bigger and better. And that’s before you throw in the possibility of a contested Republican convention. Only an Indian election, with its 800 million voters, comes close for sheer spectacle. For nerds, this is the Olympics and the World Cup rolled into one.

In China, Weibo users have been sharing gifs about Donald “Breaking-Bed,” which is apparently a homonym for Trump. More serious-minded commentators have drawn comparisons between the Republican front-runner and Ren Zhiquiang, a real-estate tycoon with a history of plain-speaking. Perhaps thanks to Trump’s success, Zhiquiang has had his social media accounts blocked by the Communist Party, which is always quick to spot alternative sources of power springing up. Italians see a repeat of Silvio Berlusconi in Trump’s rise; for Argentina, Juan Peron seems like the best comparison.

This election season has already offered up plenty to chew over. “Special Relationship” plans to chomp in its own unusual, informative and irreverent way. Please tune in and join us for the first episode, released on April 28th.

Prideaux is U.S. Editor of The Economist and Katz is Senior Political Correspondent at Mic. They are co-hosts of  “Special Relationship” a podcast collaboration that examines America’s presidential election from the characteristic perspectives of  their two respective news organizations. The podcast can be downloaded via iTunes, can be found at radio.economist.com or wherever you get your podcasts!