Populism is a hot topic of which there is no shortage of analysis. By combining theoretical rigour with his knowledge about the empirical realities of populism, Jan-Werner Müller nevertheless manages to add some important and so-far neglected points in What is Populism? He organises his book around three questions, the […] Read more »
1990s Oregon campaigns anticipated Trump’s politics of division
Arlene Stein, Rutgers University The white working class surprised many pundits and social scientists by supporting Donald Trump, leading some to describe the election results as a “whitelash.” The fact that the president-elect successfully mobilized this population was far from inevitable. After all, a fair number of Trump supporters once […] Read more »
Stop blaming ‘populism’ for everything
The word “populism” is being used to explain almost every trend or event of 2016, including Brexit, the election of Donald Trump as America’s next President, and shifts in French, German, Italian, Dutch, and Austrian politics. … Reducing everything to “populism” is ignoring the real issues that motivate people. To […] Read more »
How Vladimir Putin Became the Oracle of the East
Immediately following the annexation of Crimea and the tragedy of flight MH17, the West largely regarded Vladimir Putin as a dangerous international pariah. But two years later, following the sweeping success of demagogues world-wide, Putin has emerged as a new oracle of the East, leading the charge for the new […] Read more »
How Will Donald Trump Handle Europe’s Populist Right?
Like the advance of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, the spread of conservative populism across Europe stalled at the gates of Vienna last weekend. The failure of Suleiman the Magnificent to capture the city in 1529 proved a turning point that marked the end of Ottoman expansion into […] Read more »
Trump Voters Are Feeling It
Donald Trump’s supporters from the white working and middle class are, for the moment, elated. In a survey conducted by Pew after the election, 96 percent of those who cast votes for Trump said they were hopeful; 74 percent said they were “proud.” They were almost unanimous in their expectation […] Read more »