29/10/2025

WEDNESDAY | OCT 29, 2025

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When America goes to war with itself A S President Donald Trump makes his way across Asia to further the other pillar of his Maga (Make America Great Again) mission, he appears to be enjoying the break away from the rancour of American politics Political analysts and commentators, though not journalists employed by jingoistic media, have noted that external issues, such as tensions with countries labelled as adversaries, can serve to unite a divided political body or distract from domestic strife.

hounding his current presidency. His meme showing him raining sludge on his fellow Americans during the recent nationwide protest against his leadership and administration shows not only a leader who thinks the worst of his political opponents. It also reveals a badly fractured country at war with itself. The protests were geographically widespread and involved millions of participants turning out at thousands of locations nationwide. This demonstrates a broad and deep opposition across many communities and states and confirms evidence from recent surveys and studies indicating that the United States is experiencing its most profound internal division and disunity in modern times. The table summarises findings that illustrate the depth and nature of this division manifesting in record levels of political polarisation, mutual distrust between partisans and concerns about political violence. A N O T B Y L I M Aspect of Division Key Finding Source/Data Point 0 Overall National Direction: 68-point partisan gap on whether country is on the wrong track (highest on record) – PRRI, 2025 0 Perception of Leadership: 56% see Trump as a “dangerous dictator”, 41% as a “strong leader” - PRRI, 2025 0 Political Violence: 85% of Americans believe politically motivated violence is increasing – Pew Research Centre, 2025 0 Desire vs Hope for Unity: 84% believe Americans should unite, but only 25% believe they will – YouGov/Economist, 2025 External threat bogeyman The division and disunity in the US should not solely be a concern of the American people. It should also be a cause of concern for the rest of the world. This is because the situation where internal division leads a government to focus on external targets to foster national unity through providing a distraction or fabricated threat is a well-recognised phenomenon in political history. The outcome is almost inevitably the ignition of needless and costly wars.

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While it is difficult to prove that such a deliberate and coordinated strategy is taking place in the US today – Trump, to his credit, has been engaged in multiple peace making efforts abroad – there are clear recent examples where Western leaders have leveraged focus on external adversaries, so as to paper over deep internal divisions. Prominent recent examples categorised by the “external enemy” threat bogeyman include : 1. Focusing on Russia (especially post-2022 invasion of Ukraine) The unified Western response to Russia’s full-scale invasion has been a powerful tool for managing internal discord. 0 Divisions distracted from: Soaring inflation, cost-of-living crises, energy shortages and pre-existing political polarisation (e.g., the aftermath of the Capitol riot in the US, Brexit fatigue in the UK, rise of far-right parties in Europe). 0 Moral clarity and unity: The war provided a clear, morally unambiguous enemy in Russian President Vladimir Putin. Leaders like (former) US president Joe Biden and (former) UK prime minister Boris Johnson followed by other Western leaders used it to frame a narrative of a struggle between democracy and autocracy. This created a temporary, powerful sense of purpose that overshadowed domestic squabbles. 0 Justifying economic pain: Soaring energy prices and inflation were partly a direct result of sanctions on Russia and disruption to energy markets. By framing these hardships as the “cost of defending freedom”, governments have deflected blame from their own lack lustre domestic economic policies onto Putin. 0 Revitalising Nato: The war effectively ended existential questions about Nato’s purpose (famously called “brain dead” by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019) and unified a fractious alliance, sidelining internal critics. 2. Focusing on China (The “Strategic Competition” framework) The bipartisan focus on China as a strategic competitor has been used to advance anti-China domestic policy and mute internal criticism. 0 Divisions distracted from: Intense political partisanship in the US economic pain resulting from deindustrialisation and supply chain vulnerabilities is increasingly attributed data processing and machine learning, AI can analyse large volumes of meteorological data in real time. From satellite images to historical climate trends, it can detect subtle signals and make faster, more accurate predictions. One of the sectors most affected by weather unpredictability is energy. Malaysia’s growing reliance on renewable sources such as solar and wind brings both opportunities and challenges. During the monsoon season, heavy rainfall, dense cloud cover, and fluctuating wind patterns can significantly reduce energy output. This makes power supply less predictable and planning more complex. AI can help address this challenge. By improving weather forecasts, it enables energy providers to predict fluctuations and optimise energy storage systems. A K E G H E E

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The unified Western response to Russia’s full-scale invasion has been a powerful tool for managing internal discord. – AFPPIC

terrorist” entity and placing a bounty on Maduro. 0 Imposing broad sanctions on the Venezuelan state, its officials and its oil sector, thereby significantly contributing to the country’s economic and humanitarian crisis. 0 Military buildup in the Caribbean, including the deployment of warships and aircraft, with the stated goal of disrupting drug trafficking. The US military has conducted strikes on vessels it alleges are involved in narcotics smuggling. 0 Authorising CIA covert operations in Venezuela with the explicit intention to drive Maduro out of power. Responding to beating war drums In the coming months, will we see the Trump administration and its echo chamber in the American and western mass media beat the war drums more strongly on new and old external threats and work to frame foreign policy actions in a way that distracts from the intensifying internal political tensions and disunity in the US? If this happens, unmasking and exposing the foreign policy actions and hypocrisy of America and its allies that are driven by their domestic political dynamics and internal shortcomings and division should be a priority in response from independent stake players. LimTeck Ghee’s Another Take is aimed at demystifying social orthodoxy. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com weather, integrating AI into weather prediction and disaster management is no longer optional; it is vital. From ensuring stable energy supply to protecting lives, AI offers Malaysia a strategic advantage in navigating an increasingly uncertain climate. To fully harness its potential, Malaysia must invest in local expertise, support AI research, and ensure that these technologies benefit all communities. Embracing AI is not only about innovation but also about building resilience and preparedness for the challenges ahead. DrSyahirah Abd Halim is a senior lecturer at the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

to China’s overcapacity and state subsidies. 0 Bipartisan consensus: In the deeply divided US Congress, the confrontation of China is one of the few issues – perhaps the only one – to generate strong bipartisan support. Legislation like the Chips and Science Act, which aims to boost US semiconductor manufacturing, was sold primarily as a national security measure against Chinese dominance, rather than just a domestic industrial policy. 0 Economic grievance channelling: Economic anxieties about job losses, particularly in manufacturing, have been successfully channelled towards China by both Republican and Democratic administrations. This redirects blame from domestic policy failures to a scapegoat that most Americans, even the highly educated, can readily identify and denounce in the effort to rally around the flag. 0 Human rights as a unifier: Highlighting China’s treatment of Muslim Uyghurs and its governance in Hong Kong to create a unifying cause that distracts from domestic debates over human rights, race, religion and social justice. Targeting Venezuela For now, the Trump administration is targeting President Nicolas Maduro’s government as the immediate external enemy to take down. Actions taken include: 0 Designating the regime as a “narco Smarter grid management and accurate forecasting can make renewable power supply more reliable. This is an essential step as Malaysia aims to expand its renewable energy capacity by 2030. AI also plays an important role in saving lives. Malaysia ranks among the top three countries with the highest lightning density, with 13.9 ground flashes per square kilometre annually. Between 2009 and 2019, lightning strikes caused 132 deaths nationwide, with the Klang Valley alone experiencing up to 240 thunderstorm days each year. AI-based systems can monitor atmospheric conditions and issue early warnings before lightning or flash floods occur, allowing communities and emergency services to respond more quickly. In an era of climate change and extreme

Unravelling weather mysteries through AI

COMMENT

By Dr Syahirah Abd Halim

ARTIFICIAL Intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we live and work. In Malaysia, AI is projected to affect more than 30% of existing jobs, reshaping roles and creating new opportunities across sectors. Beyond the workplace, AI is also emerging as a powerful tool to understand one of nature’s most unpredictable forces, the weather. Weather has always been a mystery, constantly changing, often unexpected and sometimes destructive. Today, AI provides a new perspective to understand these patterns. With advanced