Introduce a good-looking, heroic, male protagonist and a pretty girl with an antagonistic father. Develop a flimsy love story, throw in some brawls with slo-mos and replays, and add scenic cuts to the lovers’ singing and dancing in Switzerland. Make the father abruptly realize the protagonist is the best option for his daughter and conclude […]
Tag: Populism
Portugal Elections Mark Europe’s Surge Toward Radical Right
In April, Portugal was supposed to celebrate its 50-year anniversary of democracy, leadership, and stability since the Carnation Revolution, which overthrew the right-wing dictatorship that had led the country for decades. However, in March, just one month before this great milestone in the country’s history, it is facing political turmoil and democratic decay. Populist right-wing […]
A New Perception of Right for New Zealand
October 26th of 2017 was a historic day for not only New Zealand, but the world. Jacinda Ardern stepped up to the podium in Wellington to be sworn in to office, where she would become the youngest female head of government in history at age 37. Her center-left campaign and agenda at the helm of […]
Why the Rise of Far-Right Populism Could Spell the End for the EU
Swedish voters went to the polls on September 11th as the last remnants of summer clinging in the air began to dissipate in expectation of the colder months ahead. As the results began to roll out, lawmakers around Europe could feel chills running down their spines. Swedish Democrats, the far-right nationalist party, had managed to […]
Nayib Bukele: Millennial President, Age-Old Autocrat, Institutional Wrecking Ball
In 2021, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele described himself as “the coolest dictator in the world” on Twitter. If Bukele limited his eccentricity to Twitter, such a declaration would cause about as much harm as Elon Musk’s memes. However, between planning to promote Bitcoin in Miami while chaos consumes his country at home and exploiting […]
What Can We Expect in the 2022 French Presidential Election?
This coming April, French voters will elect their new president. While the election is still months away and not all candidates have been announced, speculation is well underway. Most notable has been the rising presence of right-wing populist and TV anchor Éric Zemmour, who is making waves by scaring the political establishment with his neo-Nazi […]
The Populist Wing of the GOP Is No Friend of the Middle Class
“The 9 most terrifying words in the English language,” Ronald Reagan once quipped, “are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” In the three decades following President Reagan’s famous one-liner, this way of thinking — a stalwart commitment to free markets and free trade — has come to dominate the Republican Party. In […]
Corruption: The Gravedigger of Populism?
The surge in the success of right-wing populists has been one of the biggest political developments of this decade, as leaders like Viktor Orbán, Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump have all demonstrated the power of appealing to social divisions within society to gain power. Recently, however, another surprising trend has arisen: the implication of right-wing […]
Unpopular Populism: The Dismal Prospects for Far-Right Politics in Canada
He has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax” perpetrated by “environmentalist alarmists.” His immigration policy includes building border fences, restricting family reunification, and making temporary foreign workers less competitive. And he spends much of his time railing against “the Liberal cult of diversity” on his Twitter account, a platform he uses to comment on — […]
The Evolution of Italy’s Five Star Movement: From Populist Firebrands to Establishment Gatekeepers
“Mussolini was less brash, at least he called his coup a coup!” thundered comedian-turned-politician Giuseppe “Beppe” Grillo. This attack from a 2015 blog post concerned then-Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s proposed referendum on election reform. The inflammatory language used was par for the course for Grillo. His party, the Five Star Movement (M5S), had recently entered […]