“Populist governments hedge power in Corona crisis” Courtesy of IFW Kiel On average, populist governments record significantly lower increases in popularity in the coronavirus crisis than non-populist ones, even though they usually introduced similar policies to contain the pandemic. At the same time, however, populists are making greater use of emergency laws to weaken […]
Tag: authoritarianism
On vaccine, World Health Assembly putting cart before the horse
By Roger Bate, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) The World Health Assembly which begins today is the most important in living memory. Normally it lasts for a mind-numbingly boring week and addresses myriad issues, but this time it’s only taking two days, with the focus on Covid-19. NPR is setting this up as […]
Hong Kong democracy movement still in China’s crosshairs
By Dr. Alexander Görlach, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs The aim is for Hong Kong to be like every other city in China: under the complete control of the Communist Party. Since the return of the former crown colony to the People’s Republic, the autonomous metropolis and hub of […]
Beware AMLO’s authoritarian tendencies
“AMLO and the “Fourth Transformation” in Mexico” By Roberto Salinas-León, courtesy of the Cato Institute According to Enrique Krauze, Mexico’s prominent classical‐liberal intellectual, new “winds of authoritarianism” are sweeping across Latin America, characterized by all‐mighty caudillos who ascend to political power via democratic means, but who then seek to concentrate control over a tightly knit polity […]
Donor agencies must not pay to turn South Africa into Zimbabwe
By Richard Tren, TES Contributor Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s ruler for 37 years, is now dead at the age of 95 and after an elaborate state funeral, is thankfully no longer a threat to his people, civilization, or to decency. Though he will no […]
Maybe Trump doesn’t want a China trade deal, period
Conventional wisdom among economists and free traders holds that Donald Trump’s trade war with China, while perhaps justified on the grounds of numerous Chinese transgressions, has nonetheless been pursued in a muddled fashion, with no clear goal or exit strategy. But this discounts the possibility that […]