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The Opacity of Hope
The United States underwent a profound political transformation after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, with fear becoming the primary force shaping national discourse. Barack Obama’s presidency was seen as a chance to reverse this trend, but his vision of a “new politics” failed to change the country’s trajectory.
PARIS – Barack Obama’s election as the first Black president of the United States was widely seen as a historic event, and it was. In retrospect, however, his presidency had an unintended consequence: it paved the way for the rise of Donald Trump. While Trump’s election in 2016 was viewed as a major political rupture, few today would argue that he is a historical aberration.