The Foreign Service Journal, October 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2016 31 T his has been an unusual year to be a for- eign correspondent in Washington, D.C. Apart from the usual excitement about the question who is going to be elected president of the world’s most powerful country, this year has something else to it, some other kind of spice to season our daily coverage. The “Donald Trump phenomenon” dominates not just the U.S. news cycle, but the daily coverage our bureau is producing for our Austrian audience. Indeed, it has created so much interest throughout the entire world that it has only been overshadowed by the horrific terror attacks in France, Germany and Turkey. The most common question friends, family members and our viewers and listeners ask me is this: “How can someone like Donald Trump become the nominee of a major American politi- cal party?” Some of you might expect me to answer that question with some sort of finger-pointing or anti-American schadenfreude, which is often an easy out for foreigners. But I must disappoint You Are Not Alone, BelieveMe Donald Trump might be uniquely American in his demeanor and rhetoric, but to Austrians the factors behind his startling success are not. BY VERENA GL E I TSMANN Verena Gleitsmann has been a correspondent with the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) in Washing- ton, D.C., since August 2013. Prior to her posting in the United States, she worked at the foreign policy desk of ORF Radio in Vienna, reporting from Finland, Venezuela, Afghani- stan and Greece. She was born in Vienna, and holds a B.A. in politi- cal science from the University of Vienna. Twitter: @VGleitsmann you in that regard. While Donald Trump might be uniquely American in his demeanor and rhetoric, the underlying factors behind his success are most certainly not. In my home country of Austria, as well as in France, the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the West, we see similar figures and trends. Elite vs. Outsiders In June, Britons shocked the world with their “Brexit” vote to exit the European Union. The “Remain” campaign was narrowly defeated (52-48) despite being led by then-Prime Minister David Cameron; his successor at 10 Downing Street, Theresa May; the majority of members of Parliament; and even important pop- culture idols like David Beckham and Eddie Izzard—in short, the so-called elites. The “Leave” result was a win for the populist political groups that orchestrated a fight for “independence” from Brussels and the London elite, drawing upon the same fears and xenophobia that underpin Trump’s success. On May 22, Austria held the second round of its own presi- dential election. It was the first in my lifetime that was too close to call on election day. Absentee ballots narrowed the margin of victory for Alexander van der Bellen, a retired economics profes- sor and former leader of Austria’s Green Party, over right-wing candidate Norbert Hofer, to a mere 31,000 votes. Hofer and his Freedom Party (FPÖ) had speculated about a rigged election well before voting occurred (does that sound familiar?) and immediately challenged the outcome. The Consti- tutional Court of Austria overturned the May 22 result, citing pro- cedural errors in the vote count, and scheduled a rerun for early October. Even though the court made it clear that there were no FOCUS ON THE U.S. ELECTION