Politics: From Noble Art to Divider

Politics: From Noble Art to Divider

11 september 2025

One of the greatest disconnectors and dividers today is politics. It wasn’t always this way, nor is it inevitable. Once upon a time, politics was a noble art — the way society organized and governed itself. That has changed.

In principle, elections require parties and candidates to distinguish themselves from others. Distinction means separation. Traditionally, this was based on ideas. And crucially, politics assumed that after elections, those divisions would be set aside in favor of democracy and the common good.

Worldwide, this logic has broken down. Division is no longer based on ideas but on emotions. And these divisions are no longer healed after elections. Instead, election results are often contested, and campaigning has become a permanent feature. In many societies, this leads to two camps of roughly 50% standing rigidly against each other.

We see this clearly in the United States, where the Trump–Biden rivalry has split the nation into two hostile halves, with election outcomes themselves under suspicion. In Brazil, Bolsonaro and Lula have left behind a polarized society where families and friends no longer speak to each other. And closer to home, on Curaçao, the 2005 referendum on the island’s political future planted a lasting wedge. The vote on the constitutional structure created a schism that still divides the community — even within families.

One reason behind this global pattern is the deep uncertainty created by the significant transitions of our age: climate change, technological disruption, and the perversion of neoliberal market thinking. These forces disrupt people’s lives, making them more susceptible to emotional manipulation and prolonged conflict.

How do we move forward? We need bridge-builders — leaders and citizens who can reconnect society across divides, who dare to put democracy and the common good above tribal loyalties. Without them, politics will no longer be the art of governing together, but the art of tearing apart.

Miguel Goede