Dictionary.com Word of the Year 2016: Xenophobia

I receive a daily email from dictionary.com giving me their choice for Word of the Day.  The words are chosen, I'm sure, for their distinctness, current event interest or literary opulence.  Sometimes the word of the day is one I recognize and use in my vocabulary, sometimes it's a completely new word for me.

In today's group of emails came the dictionary.com Word of the Year for 2016:  xenophobia, a noun meaning (according to dictionary.com): 
1.  fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers:  Xenophobia and nationalism can be seen as a reaction to the rise of globalization.
2.  fear or dislike of the customs, dress, etc., of people who are culturally different from oneself:  Learning a foreign language can help to overcome xenophobia.

Here's the link to Dictionary.com's explanation of the choice of the word as Word of the Year:

Dictionary.com Word of the Year: Xenophobia

What are you thoughts about the choice of the word and the reasons for the choice?