The rise of populism: Its role and effects on Brexit and the US-Philippines alliance

• Main Author: Bitantes, Jason B.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Populism; Refugees; European Union—Great Britain; Other International and Area Studies
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_intlstud/30; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=etdm_intlstud
• Institution: De La Salle University

The migration crisis sent shockwaves around the modern world. While many people were sympathetic to the Syrian refugees, many other people felt threatened by them. These fears ignited tensions in the affected states that highlighted political differences. This began when politicians used these opportunities to appeal to them and to feed their fears at the same time. This resulted in a huge boost in support for those politicians and a good chance to win in upcoming elections. One of the first big moves was Brexit. It was a move by populist in Britain to appeal to the people who wanted something done against the refugees. This move was followed by a wave of populist narratives. It then became clear that the most effective strategy was to appeal to ordinary people to secure their support. This strategy was then continuously used by many other politicians across many elections. The next big surprises were the 2016 elections. In the United States Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to win the White House. The Philippines also experienced a very similar situation when Rodrigo Duterte won the Presidency despite his speeches about mass killings and iron fist tactics. Thus, the question of how these happened arises. This study analyzes the states in question as well as their audiences and contexts to answer the question. It will also show how and why the tactics of these politicians brought about their victories and the populist narratives that followed in their respective countries. Using Securitization Theory, the study explains and analyzes the cycle of how the context of each state affected the decisions of each securitizing agent and how those decisions subsequently affected society.