Why Trump Could Actually Win: A Look Back at an Alarmingly Similar Race in Russia

Listening to Donald Trump feels like déjà vu. The Republican Party candidates sound eerily like Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, whose party -- the far-right wing Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), possibly the most inaptly named political entity of all time -- won 23 percent of the popular vote in December 1993, more than any other party competing for seats in the Russian Parliament.

In October 1993, Russian President Boris Yeltsin had ordered his country's Parliament shelled as a way of ending the standoff between himself and the communists and nationalists holed up inside. Given that the Clausewitzian boundary between war and politics had apparently disintegrated (the fire-blackened face of the former Parliament building in central Moscow testified to this), a lot of Russians at that time had liked the idea of voting for a party with no political experience. The LDPR were seen as outsiders, to their credit (although Alexander Yakovlev, a senior advisor to Mikhail Gorbachev, later claimed that the Soviet Communist Party had funded the LDPR's initial incarnation in 1991 with support from the head of the KGB).

The LDPR party head, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, could be mistaken for a composite character made of several of the current Republican candidates for president. Variously perceived as a clown, an entertainer and a fascist, Zhirinovsky provided a platform of fantasies, crude sexual references and vituperative ultra-nationalism. In an early speech, Zhirinovsky voiced his desire for the restoration of the Russian empire and hoped that Russian soldiers would soon "wash their boots in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean."

Variously perceived as a clown, an entertainer and a fascist, Zhirinovsky provided a platform of fantasies, crude sexual references and vituperative ultra-nationalism.

In a September 1993 pamphlet, Zhirinovsky claimed that "Russia" signified the territory of the entire Eurasian continent. He also pledged to plant nuclear waste at the Russian-Baltic border and set up giant fans to blow the radioactivity into the tiny but traitorous countries that had made clear their desire to be free of Russian control. When asked what the LDPR's platform was on women's issues, Zhirinovsky responded that his party would provide a "guy for every broad."

Zhirinovsky expressed these ideas in a way that people thought signified his sincerity and commitment to the best interests of the populace. His utter lack of political tact, combined with a tendency to spout fantasy as if it were policy (proposing, for example, that Russia could sell its young women's virginity to foreigners as a means of improving the national balance sheet), was apparently appealing at a time when honest political debate over the pressing questions of the day seemed like the last thing any serious candidate wanted to discuss. No sense in discussing the tough stuff, such as what to do about the floundering economy, the collapse of social welfare and the deep popular divide over these issues. Instead, he turned ignorance into a virtue and shockingly offensive jingoism into a selling point.

Does this sound familiar?

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson thinks that 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. should be put to work until they pay off their debt to society -- as guest laborers, and that their mass deportation was also "worth discussing." Carly Fiorina said if she were in charge, she'd "conduct regular, aggressive military exercises in the Baltic States" (military exercises are already held annually in the region) and send thousands of soldiers to Germany to show Vladimir Putin who's boss. (Maybe she'd be interested in setting up some fans on the Baltic side of the border, too?)

Zhirinovsky turned ignorance into a virtue and shockingly offensive jingoism into a selling point.

Hearing U.S. citizens talk about how much they like Donald's straightforward, "shoot from the hip" style and his disregard for "political correctness," or how much they relish the idea of electing a "Washington outsider," a president who isn't a politician and who doesn't know Hamas from Hezbollah, I couldn't help but think about those Russia elections in 1993.

Like Zhirinovsky, Trump, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina are right-wingers with no office-holding experience, who make phantasmagorical claims and, in doing so, get more popular support, not less.

Unlike Zhirinovsky, however, Trump, Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina are members of one of the two major, long-standing parties in the U.S.

Look out. These people could win for real.

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• The UK's very own Donald Trump is, beyond doubt, Nigel Farage. The leader of the populist UK Independence party (UKIP) relishes in his politically incorrect, beer-swilling, cigar-smoking persona. Avowedly anti-establishment and a privately-educated businessman, he knows that many compare him to The Donald. With a referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union looming, he could have more influence than ever. -- Paul Waugh

• Right-wing Congressman Jair Bolsonaro has left a huge mark on Brazil’s political scene. Bolsonaro is one of Brazil's most controversial characters: Military reserve, dictatorship enthusiast, bullet caucus member and “traditional” family defender, he fights mainly against Brazil's minority groups, including gays, women and black people. In Brazil's Chamber of Deputies since 1990, Bolsonaro rails against gay marriage, believes that women's salaries should be lower than men's salaries, and is against affirmative action and the legalization of marijuana. -- Grasielle Castro, reporter, HuffPost Brazil

• Like Trump, Doug Ford’s political ambitions are fuelled by a potent combination of anti-intellectual populism and seemingly delusional promises. The Ford brothers had a well-publicized fight with beloved Canadian author Margaret Atwood about cuts to the city’s libraries. He fought against a group home for developmentally-challenged children in his ward calling it a ‘nightmare’. Trump has his border wall and Doug Ford has his waterfront monorail. Trump pays for supporters to show up at his events, Doug Ford hands out $20 bills while canvassing in an affordable housing block. -- Ron Nurwisah, Social media editor, HuffPost Canada

• Joachim Herrmann, Bavarian Interior Minister, is never ashamed of a populist comment. He hit a low about a week ago when, during a television talk-show, he referred to Roberto Blanco, a German pop-singer of Afro-Cuban descent, as having "always been a wonderful Negro, adored by most Germans." He insists he didn't mean to sound derogatory. Yet, the word "Negro" is still an insult for people with darker skin â€" and therefore, isn't a word that's easily justified in conversation. Especially among politicians. What else is Herrmann famous for? A tough policy against refugees and immigrants. That's it, actually. -- Jan David Sutthoff and Christoph Asche, HuffPost Germany

• Clive Palmer is a Rolls Royce driving, dinosaur theme park owning, mining magnate -- and the man behind a wholly unsolicited plan to launch a Titanic 2 replica -- who twerked his way into politics in the 2013 federal election. Under the banner of the Palmer United Party, he secured the balance of power by bringing three senators with him, including a retired football legend nicknamed, "The Brick with Eyes" and a Tasmanian Army veteran who revealed her ideal man was endowed with a bulging wallet and trousers. But the PUPs are no longer "united.” Palmer has lost two senators, had a senior adviser caught up in a weird alleged kidnapping case, attracted unwanted scrutiny of his business affairs, was spotted asleep in Parliament, and became an interview talent more likely to walk out in a huff than not. Despite all this, Palmer says he is not giving up politics, and that he would take part in the next election. -- Karen Barlow, Politics editor, HuffPost Australia

• As Frank Bruni wrote in the New York Times, Italy had its own Donald Trump far before the American Donald Trump: we’re talking about Silvio Berlusconi, the man who ruled Italy for about nine years â€" but dominated Italian politics for at least 20. Similarities between the two span from wealth, to style of communication, to Casanova-like behaviors. In 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi decided to enter the political arena, one of his main arguments was very reminiscent of Trump: “I don’t need anyone’s money. I’ve got my own money, I’m very rich, really really rich.” -- Giulia Belardelli, Editor HuffPost Italy

• Now that Berlusconi has become a somewhat marginal figure in politics, the new “Italian Trump” is Beppe Grillo, leader of the populist Five Star Movement. He is also a comedian, actor, blogger and political activist. Like Trump, Grillo came into the political arena as an outsider, altering the traditional relationship between politicians and voters. His communication style is informal, vulgar at times, and very loud. He shows off his “outsider” status any chance he can. Both Grillo and Trump present themselves as alternatives to traditional politicians; and their political views are often very extreme. They share the same confidence under the spotlight, and they both bully journalists. -- Giulia Belardelli, Editor HuffPost Italy

• We don’t really have a particular politician like Donald Trump in South Korea. We once had an interesting politician -- more of a comical figure -- in our presidential election back in 2007. Huh Kyung-young, leader of his own Democratic Republican Party actually ran for president, and lost. He’s a bit of an odd one who once claimed to have an IQ of 430. While campaigning he proclaimed: "I can change 23 chromosomes and 40,000 DNA in the human body. If someone is diagnosed with uterine cancer, I can treat the cancer within 0.1 seconds just by looking into the patient's eyes." His campaign pledges were also quite crazy, like granting 100 million won to every single couple getting married. He also wanted to move the UN headquarters from NYC to DMZ (Korean Demilitarized Zone), in a town between North Korea and South Korea. Yes. He is that crazy. But he was oddly popular among Korean voters during the election; the press called it ‘Huh Kyung-young syndrome’. Of course he didn’t win the election but he earned nearly 100,000 votes, which is insanely huge. The driving reason behind his popularity was simple: people wanted to express their frustration with the country's politics. Huh was jailed in 2009 for 18 months on charges of defamation, after claiming Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea, would marry him. Today he is all but forgotten in Korean politics, but people still remember his name because he once was a symbol of the public's sarcastic response to South Korean politics. -- Dohoon Kim, HuffPost Korea

• Heinz-Christian Strache, Chairman of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) says utterly absurd things, often rendering Donald Trump's statements inferior. A few examples? "Putin is, with certainty, a true Democrat, but with an authoritarian style." Or: "Do you know, what foot-and-mouth disease is? It's when East-European workers come to work in the West: they show up and gripe, and when they can't work, they steal." Strache understands populism. And he attracts a terrifying number of Austrians. If things take a bad turn, he'll soon govern in Wien as the new Mayor. And, if recent polls are any indication, the odds are he'll eject the reigning Social Democrats from city-hall. Incidentally, he refers to his political movement as the "Fight for Wien." -- Jan David Sutthoff and Christoph Asche, HuffPost Germany

• The Editor-in-Chief of the right-wing conservative "Weltwoche" magazine scatters crass sound-bites on-air whenever he's given the opportunity. Köppel demands, quite openly, that the "death-channel" which the "Muslim masses" use to travel to Europe, be sealed. And: "We can't take in all of Africa." Yet, in contrast to some other right-wing populists, Köppel isn't dumb; in fact, he's highly intelligent. He is a seasoned journalist, and knows how to construct his messages in a way to best reach his target audience. He makes headlines â€" as a journalist â€" and now, as a wanna-be politician. Even in Germany, he's a highly popular guest on talk-shows. -- Jan David Sutthoff and Christoph Asche, HuffPost Germany