Once, Arnold Joseph Toynbee (April 14, 1889 – October 22, 1975), the English historian, a Philosopher of History, an author and a Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and King’s College London, reportedly said that the revolutionary United States of America, which had shown new dreams, gradually became a narrow conservative country because of its own internal conflicts. One can feel the importance, as well as relevance, of his opinion even in the 21st Century.

The recent victory of young candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani (born October 18, 1991) in the New York City Mayoral Elections is a reminder of Toynbee’s view. His electoral victory proves that the dream of a liberal US still exists. It also makes Mamdani an important historical figure. He has not only become the first Muslim mayor of New York, but also rekindled the fading values of Liberal Democracy. Hence, Mamdani’s victory has triggered a sensation across the globe.

The political journey of Mamdani is not just a one-dimensional story of Leftism or Socialism or Anti-racism or Anti-Islamism, but a triumph of opposing voices in the era of Populist Politics, Authoritarianism, Dictatorship, Capitalism and Hatred. Interestingly, people, like Mamdani, have the ability to steal the limelight in this seemingly hostile world. The true identity of the US, which has become brutally hostile to immigrants in recent times, lies in its multiculturalism which is a direct consequence of immigration. Therefore, a person, born to a Muslim father and a Hindu mother of Indian descent in Kampala, Uganda who moved to New York with his family at the age of seven, can send a message of hope to a divided society, based on ethnicity, class, religion and politics.

Numerous old-school or mainstream conservatives have expressed serious concern and criticised the level of intolerant rhetoric, anti-liberalism, anti-immigration policies and Islamophobia associated with the leadership of President Donald John Trump. It may be noted that the US President vigorously opposed Mamdani’s campaign, spending millions of dollars to defeat him. Even some New York billionaires, such as Michael Bloomberg, Bill Ackman and Joe Gebbia, led multimillion-dollar political fundings against Mamdani in the Mayoral Elections.

There are two main reasons for this sharp division within the civil society. Firstly, the Israel-Palestine issue as Mamdani is not only a follower of Islam, but also a vocal critic of Israel’s Palestinian policies in Jewish-dominated New York. Secondly, Mamdani built his entire campaign and election agenda around comprehensive socio-economic reform proposals, including a significant tax increase on the wealthy, the introduction of city-owned grocery stores to address food security and a plan for rapid solutions to the housing problem for the poor, aimed at the lower-middle class. He campaigned on an “affordability crisis” platform, which resonated widely with working-class New Yorkers. As expected, the Far-Right-Wing political personalities have strongly opposed his agendas. Reports suggest that President Trump has threatened to cancel billions of dollars of previously approved federal fundings.

Although the newly-elected mayor of New York is of Indian origin, the excitement in India over his victory is noticeably low as Mamdani has repeatedly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s Sectarian Politics. Like the US, there is a significant rise in hate speech, social tension and a trend towards authoritarianism in India. Both India and the US face various challenges to democratic norms, with reports from different sources suggesting issues with the (mis)handling of dissent and also an escalating crackdown on the Freedom of Expression.

In such a situation, Mamdani’s victory would certainly reassure the Opposition parties in India that it is how one can make a comeback.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das