The Foreign Service Journal, October 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2016 33 access to campaigns, but what I do find highly concerning is the willingness of political figures to undermine the trust in demo- cratic institutions, such as the media. Casting Doubt on Democratic Institutions Mr. Trump has had a long history of discarding journalists whom he feels do not treat himwell. He repeatedly calls the media “dishonest” and “untrustworthy” and urges his voters to believe him instead of relying on the traditional media outlets to fact-check his statements. We are witnessing similar developments in Austria and Germany. At campaign events, we hear people chanting “lügen- presse” (lying press), and we see them increasingly relying on the open space of online blogs and hobby reporters, who happily trade facts with rumors and conspiracy theories. While I understand frustration with a political establishment that seems out of touch with its citizens, and to some extent even out of institutional control, I find it highly dangerous that populists like Mr. Trump, Britain’s Nigel Farage or Austria’s Norbert Hofer continuously question the validity of our democratic systems and their institutions. They are working to plant seeds of mistrust and undermine the very system that makes their candidacies possible. Mr. Trump recently stated that the only way he could be defeated in November is if the tabulation is rigged. As I noted earlier, the Austrian FPÖ was successful in casting doubt on our presidential election. And in England, some Brexiteers even warned voters not to use the pens in the voting booths to avoid manipulation by the government, insinuating that the pens could To be fair to the Trump campaign, we do not enjoy unrestricted access to Hillary Clinton either.