On November 9, 2016, millions of people watched in disbelief as the words “Donald Trump elected president of the United States” flash before their eyes. Their worst nightmare had come true. Trump's victory was one of the most shocking events in American political history. Less than five months earlier, the United Kingdom had stunned the world by voting to leave the European Union, a move billed as “Brexit.” This astonishing sequence of events was not limited to the West. The Philippines recently elected Rodrigo Duterte, nicknamed the “Trump of the East,” who promised to be tough on crime and soon after his election was criticized by several human rights organizations for ignoring the rule of law. There are countless other examples, including Syriza, the left-wing party currently in power in Greece, to the National Front in France. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Make no mistake: These shocking events are not isolated incidents. They are part of a new movement that is increasingly becoming the norm in shaping the world order: populism. What is populism? Fareed Zakaria writes in the November/December 2016 issue of Foreign Affairs Magazine that the definition of the term is subjective but implies a suspicion and hostility towards elites, mainstream politics and established institutions. He says populism sees itself as the mouthpiece of the forgotten “common” person and often imagines itself as the voice of genuine patriotism. The roots of populism can be traced back to globalization. In recent decades, the application of intergovernmental ideals has kept entire continents in relative peace. However, recent events have sparked a wave of anti-establishment protests that threaten to destroy the system. First, the Syrian refugee crisis has created fears that terrorists are entering neighboring nations as refugees. The civil war in Syria has displaced more than 4.8 million refugees worldwide. Neighboring European nations, such as Turkey, have been disproportionately burdened with the task of welcoming these refugees. This has led to a rise in anti-immigration sentiments, especially with an increase in terrorist attacks in countries deemed safe, such as France. Trump was able to use this sentiment to his advantage as a major talking point in the 2016 presidential campaign. Many Americans approved of his plan to tighten the borders to keep potential terrorists out of the nation. Nigel Farage, the former UK Independence Party leader who led the UK to vote for Brexit, said leaving would put the UK in a better position in terms of accepting immigrants. Many citizens felt uncomfortable around these immigrants and turned to these anti-immigration candidates for a sense of security. The economy also performed below average. The world is still reeling from the effects of the Great Recession. The crisis was one of the negative consequences of the pervasive nature of globalization. A single nation's recession could easily lead to a global financial crisis. This is perhaps one of the main reasons why the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. As Greece was going bankrupt, its EU neighbors had to bail out the country to prevent yet another crisis. Many citizens thought this was unfair and thought that leaving the EU would relieve them of this financial obligation. The main reason.