Column Archive

A resurgent form of populism is attempting to divide the world between an ethnically or racially defined class of non-elites, framed as ethically superior, and a decadent, globalizing elite. The result could be conflicts between countries or even within borders. A powerful wave of populism is sweeping the world, enveloping not only places like Latin America, where it has long held sway, but also Europe, North America and parts of Asia. Few experts saw this coming, and no one knows what its ultimate repercussions will be. But if historical patterns hold, this kind of populism, fueled by strident nationalism, may […]

Last Friday, the people of Sri Lanka got shocking news. President Maithripala Sirisena had abruptly fired the country’s prime minister—a move explicitly banned by the constitution. Confusing matters even more, Sirisena named his most bitter rival as the new prime minister, to step in for the man who had been his key ally in winning the presidency. Sri Lankans watched as the sacked prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was replaced by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who appeared on television being sworn in as the head of the new government. But Wickremesinghe refused to accept Sirisena’s move amid cries that a constitutional […]