18 Mar, 2025

Nirmal Ghosh’s new book “Backlash” reveals why Trump now faces a “Counter-Backlash”

Imtiaz Muqbil

Bangkok – The first question that came to mind while perusing this brilliant, page-turning book by veteran foreign correspondent Nirmal Ghosh was: Whence the name, “Backlash”? I will come to his response in a minute but before that, here’s a point-blank recommendation: Every American individual, corporation and institution in Asia and beyond should read this book. It will help them prepare for the growing and unstoppable counter-backlash against the Trump regime and U.S. body politic at large, especially its business interests.

Mr Ghosh is a 65-year-old veteran journalist who works for The Straits Times, Singapore. He reported from Thailand for many years before being transferred to Washington DC in Oct 2016. Before he departed Thailand, he authored a book called “Unquiet Kingdom”, which probed the psychedelic socio-cultural, political and economic complexities of Thai society, warts and all.

In the same fluid, crystal-clear prose, free of academic mumbo-jumbo, he has now dissected the US body politic, especially the mother lode of journalism, covering the US national elections. After reporting on Mr Trump’s first term, and then the Biden term, Mr Ghosh has chronicled the return of Donald Trump following what history will record as a game-changing election, for both the US and the world at large.

So how exactly did Mr Trump achieve that inspite of being convicted, reviled, ostracised and hounded? Mr Ghosh’s conclusion: He rode the “Backlash.” Here’s Mr Ghosh’s response to my question:

“The title (of the book) comes from a line from an essay by Seymour Martin Lipset written in 1969, in which he spoke of the repeated phenomenon in American history of political “backlash” – which he described as the politics of prejudice, whether directed against an oppressed minority (such as Jews or black people) or a favoured minority (such as an urban elite). Lipset wrote that for this kind of backlash to emerge, there must be social strain or decline which is somewhat ambiguous but creates widespread anxiety. The phenomenon is thus as old as the hills. Trump channelled this backlash – to globalised free trade, progressive gains (abortion, same sex marriage, LGBTQ rights, wokeism), immigrants, and futile foreign military interventions.”

In a sweeping, panoramic look covering the depth and breadth of the US, Mr Ghosh taps into each of these strains to show the disconnect between the supposedly well-informed elites who control the decision-making apparatus in the US and people at the bottom of the ladder who face the brunt of those decisions. Those supposedly voiceless and clueless people then wait for the opportunity to unleash this Backlash.

The book captures in meticulous detail how this “widespread anxiety” was either arrogantly or inadvertently dismissed by the elites, leading to the Backlash at the Nov 2024 polls.

All the writing was on the wall. In clear, smooth-flowing prose, all nicely packaged, Mr Ghosh has simply connected the dots — from guns, abortions, media control, oligarchy and the rich-poor income gap to foreign adventures, national security to the “End of Exceptionalism.” (Excerpts from the book are reproduced at the end of this post).

Which brings me to the second part of this review — what can the book tell us about what is likely to happen next?

Backlash was published in January 2025, just as Mr Trump was being inaugurated. In the immediate aftermath, Mr Trump rolled out dozens of Executive Orders to do exactly what he said he would do. The final chapter of Backlash is aptly titled, “Bracing for Turbulence.”

One of the core members of Mr Trump’s inner circle is Elon Musk, the South African-born billionaire who did not feature prominently during Mr Trump’s election campaign. Mr Ghosh mentions Mr Musk very briefly only twice in the book. Today, Mr Musk is very much at the forefront. His highly-publicised, arbitrary, draconian actions are now facing a growing Backlash. So are Mr Trump’s.

This dual backlash shares a common linkage. Mr Musk is unelected by the American people who are mighty unhappy about the power he wields over their destinies. Similarly, Mr Trump is unelected by the global public which is also mighty unhappy about the power he, Mr Musk and the entire Trump Administration wield over their destinies.

Now experiencing a high level of “widespread anxiety”, both the American and global publics are demanding accountability.

Just as Mr Musk is facing a backlash against his private corporate interests, such as Tesla, so too are Mr Trump’s corporate interests, US businesses and US interests at large at a global level.

This counter-backlash is now raging full steam ahead on both fronts. Which is exactly why every American should read this book.

The path to Making America Great Again involves U-turning everything the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave” has preached over the last 40 since years since the end of the Cold War — Freedom, Democracy, Human Rights, Free and Open Markets, Rule of Law, Good Governance. To millions of people suffering under unaccountable dictatorships all over world, those values were beacons of hope that America would come to their rescue.

No longer. Values have been replaced by interests. As Mr Ghosh’s narrative makes aptly clear, that amounts to a monumental violation of trust.

Perhaps the only thing that Mr Ghosh gets wrong in the book is his concluding remark: “It may take years to conclude just what the winter of 2024–25 portends for the American Century.” In fact, it is taking just a few weeks.

Mr Ghosh is giving a talk at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on 19 March, 1900 hrs. A great opportunity to hear his thoughts on both the Backlash as well as the sequel counter-backlash, and what it could mean for Thailand, Asia and the world at large.

Here are some excerpts from the book.

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