The national mood in Brazil is grim, following a year in which more than a million people have taken to the streets of major cities across the country to protest corruption, rising inflation and a lack of government investment in public services such as education, health care and public transportation, […] Read more »
Meet the Tea Party — European edition
Europe finally has its own Tea Party. Or something like it. Last weekend, citizens of 28 nations elected members of a new European parliament. The result? An outpouring of rage. … What were the voters angry about? Well, everything. CONT. Bill Schneider (George Mason U.), Reuters Read more »
The Role of Elites in Holocaust Denial
Why do misperceptions become widespread? More often than not, they have been spread by elites seeking political advantage. … Consider the prevalence of Holocaust denial, which a large multicountry poll released last week by the Anti-Defamation League found to be highest in the predominantly Muslim countries of the Middle East […] Read more »
Among Polling Firms, Only One Got the Indian Elections Right
After the final vote was cast on May 12, exit polls pointed to a win by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party led by its candidate for prime minister, Narendra Modi. But only one polling firm, Today’s Chanakya, predicted the magnitude of both the B.J.P.’s victory and the governing Indian National […] Read more »
Afghanistan’s Ethnic, Regional Divisions Produce a Dead Heat in its Presidential Race
Ethnic and regional divisions drove first-round ballot choices in Afghanistan’s presidential election and point now to a dead heat in a runoff between the top two finishers, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani. Yet large majorities of Afghans also say they can set aside their tribal preferences and accept the ultimate […] Read more »
Where the ADL’s Global Anti-Semitism Survey Falters
Yesterday the Anti-Defamation League released the ADL Global 100, a worldwide study of anti-Semitic attitudes. It’s a big, comprehensive report, and it includes some fascinating results — Iran, for instance, has less anti-Semitism than anywhere else in the Middle East or North Africa. And 35 percent of the world’s population […] Read more »