The reputable German news outlet Die Welt is recently cited as saying that, “The alternative to [Angela] Merkel is not the Alternative for Germany, it is [Sebastian] Kurz.” The 31-year old Austrian …
How Incomplete Democratization in Myanmar Paved the Way for Ethnic Cleansing by Luke Shapiro @ Columbia University
The world watched in horror as state security forces carried out ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in the fall of last year. Many wondered how such a promising case of democratic reform could go so …
Who are Narendra Modi’s “Brothers” and “Sisters” Conveyed in His Visual Populism? By Ruchi Kirtikar @ Columbia University
“Friends… countrymen, lend me your ears.” William Shakespeare’s famous line from his play Julius Caesar is one of the oldest mimicking the rhetoric of the “relatable” politician. Nowadays, words …
Thailand: The consequences of a disloyal opposition by Lam Chi Tun @ Columbia University
On the 10th of February, around 400 protestors gathered near the Democracy Monument in Bangkok to protest against the military junta currently ruling Thailand. They called on the military rulers to …
Lending an Ear to Ukrainian Populism
As Ukraine waits to recover from the social unrest sparked by 2014’s Maidan Revolution and pro-Russian unrest in the Donbas region, it has become painfully evident that eradicating the corrupt …
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It’s the party system, stupid! By Victor Brechenmacher @ Brown University
Democracies in Western Europe are undergoing dramatic changes, but it's not just because of right-wing populism. It's because Europe's party landscape is in turmoil. The 2016 British vote to leave …
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Entertainment in the Americas: Popular Icons and an “Incumbency Advantage” by Rachel Risoleo @ Brown University
In 2015, 2016, and 2017, three “political outsider” presidential candidates rose to prominence in the Americas: Guatemala’s Jimmy Morales, the United States’ Donald Trump, and Honduras’s Salvador …
Why South Sudan Has Not Found a Path to Democracy by Will Conard @ Brown University
South Sudan, the world’s newest sovereign nation, has had consistent trouble maintaining freedom for its citizens both socially and politically since it achieved independence in 2011. After 50 years …