From the conflict in Russia to Gaza to the US presidential elections. The Parma Open Festival welcomed Dario Fabbri, director of the magazine Domino, for a lucid analysis of the situation of critical countries in this historical moment, starting with the United States in view of the presidential elections in November. Among the topics discussed, the social evolution of the country, the American depression, and the consequences that could be expected in Europe, whoever wins between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. According to Fabbri, interviewed by Simone Disegno, the American political crisis is inseparable from the social context in which it is taking place. “Americans are depressed,” said the expert to launch a reflection on the depth of the internal crisis affecting the United States. “They have a suicide rate four times higher than our suicide rate,” he explained, highlighting the existential angst of American society. This depression, for the director of Domino, is nothing other than the result of a failed historical promise: “What depresses them is what they told us: history is over. And they were the first to believe it.”
Harris and Trump: Two Stories of the Same Crisis
In view of the upcoming elections, which will see Harris and Trump face off, Fabbri has drawn up a portrait of the two candidates. According to him, Harris represents the United States that is trying to resolve this crisis by wanting to listen to a more “sympathetic” discourse. On the other side of the spectrum, there are Trump's supporters: “Those who vote for him are those who are angry,” he sums up. Trump's electoral base reflects an America deeply disillusioned with the system, which opposes the progressive discourse embodied by Harris and which seeks answers through a return to a politics of resolution, force and aggression.
US Elections: Consequences for Europe
Fabbri discussed the possible consequences of the US elections for Europe. While a Harris victory might seem preferable from a narrative perspective, the Domino director warned that the reality is quite different. “What would change concretely? America remains depressed,” he concluded. Harris could be seen as a more open and collaborative leader with Europe than Trump, whom Fabbri describes as “unpleasant in every statement he makes.” However, the decline and internal crisis of the United States will not be resolved by a simple change of leadership, and the global effects will remain complex. Fabbri’s analysis paints a picture of deep disillusionment for the United States, where the internal crisis seems destined to persist, with inevitable repercussions on the international system.
Russia and Ukraine
In the context of the war between Russia and Ukraine, especially in the Kursk region, Fabbri highlighted the ambivalent attitude of the United States regarding the use of weapons against Russia. Regardless of who wins the next elections, whether Trump or Harris, the United States does not intend – according to Fabbri – to go too far in this conflict. “The narrative is changing,” he reiterated: Trump, for example, would proclaim “I am capable of anything,” imagining a possible negotiation with Moscow, while Harris, with a more humanitarian vision, would declare that “this war is a massacre, I must redeem humanity.”
Israel, towards an escalation in the North?
Shifting the debate to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Fabbri said he was certain that “sooner or later the ceasefire will come” and suggested that the US elections could favor its approval, at least in an initial phase. When asked whether Israel could strive to open a second front in the north, Fabbri answered without hesitation: “No.” Let us then emphasize that it is precisely for this reason that Israel is implementing a series of preventive actions, to try to avoid an escalation involving other regional actors.