Commentary / World Aug 8, 2021
The far-right’s new-old war on women
Ultimately, the real problem for many on the far right is liberalism, and particularly the liberation of women from laws and social norms enforcing male domination.
Jan-werner Mueller
For Jan-werner Mueller's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Commentary / World Jan 25, 2021
All quiet on the populist front?
Liberals around the world are daring to hope that there is a silver lining to the violent denouement of Donald Trump’s presidency: namely, that the inciter-in-chief’s ignominious exit from the political stage will chasten authoritarian populists elsewhere. Unfortunately, their optimism is naive. Contrary to the ...
Commentary / World Jan 8, 2021
Send the right message: Remove Trump now
The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, incited by Trump, represents something new and profane in American history.
Commentary / World Nov 13, 2020
Truth and de-Trumpification
Historically, plenty of other countries’ transitions from authoritarianism have been characterized by a willingness to leave former power-holders unpunished.
Commentary / World May 4, 2020
Where is the local news about COVID-19?
There's a paucity of accurate, practical community-level information about the pandemic.
Commentary / World Jun 20, 2017
How populists win when they lose
The choices made by established conservative elites, as much as the challenges posed by insurgent outsiders, determine the fate of democracy.
Commentary / World Jan 25, 2016
'Illiberal democracies' trod a dangerous path
Instead of describing Europe's new authoritarian leaders as "illiberal" we should be calling them what they really are: "undemocratic."
Commentary / World Nov 7, 2013
Should we outlaw hate-filled extremist parties?
The Greek government's crackdown on the country's far-right Golden Dawn party revives the vexing question of whether we should outlaw the more hateful, extremist political parties.
Commentary / World Apr 20, 2013
Populism without the people
Nicolas Maduro's narrow win in Venezuela's presidential election raises an important question: Can populism thrive without a popular, charismatic leader?
Commentary / World Oct 27, 2011
Understanding the language of global protest
The protest movements that have flared up across the West, from Chile to Germany, have remained curiously undefined and under-analyzed. Some speak of them as the greatest global mobilization since 1968 — when enragés in very different countries coalesced around similar concerns. But others ...