Vasabjit Banerjee
On 3 January 2026, US military invaded Venezuela, capturing and removing president Nicolás Maduro. But Vasabjit Banerjee and María Isabel Puerta Riera caution that beyond the ousting of Maduro, the Trump administration doesn't appear to have a plan for sustaining a democratic regime Read more
Ruairidh Brown
The US capture and extraction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on 3 January 2026 was an act without precedent. But Ruairidh Brown argues that recent events in Caracas were only the second Act in an unfolding post-exceptionalist world order Read more
Dennis Shen
Donald Trump has recently suggested negotiators have made 'tremendous progress' on a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement. A fair and durable settlement, however, remains elusive. According to Dennis Shen, an outcome that is overly accommodating of Russia’s war aims would only deepen present global geopolitical tensions and compound fiscal and economic challenges Read more
Sibei Sun
The Trump administration is advancing an illiberal Atlanticism that reimagines the West in manners similar to how Putin imagines Eurasia. Sibei Sun dissects the uncanny parallels between the two geopolitical doctrines and what it all means for future transatlantic relations Read more
Andreas Dür
Trump’s 2025 tariff shock marks a sharp turn toward a near-isolationist US trade policy. Yet given that US protectionism is expected to ease, Andreas Dür and Alessia Invernizzi argue that the international trading system is likely to weather the storm Read more
Selina Mabrouki
Populist leaders don’t just claim to represent the people – they embody them. Through strongman toughness or maternal guardianship, populists model idealised versions of a nation’s citizens, and they naturalise exclusion. Selina Mabrouki shows how contemporary populist leaders exploit gendered role models as tools of emotional persuasion Read more
Dario Castiglione
In his introductory piece for this series, Luca Verzichelli asked whether we can re-establish a connection between political institutions and citizens. Dario Castiglione suggests we can. But first, we must rethink democratic representation as a process of mutual engagement; then re-imagine its political practices and institutions Read more
Alexandros Ntaflos
Alexandros Ntaflos argues that Trump and Mamdani’s unexpectedly cordial meeting reflects shared populist appeals to 'the people', and pragmatic calculations of institutional power. But as concrete policies emerge, left-right ideological divisions will reassert themselves. Future conflicts between the two will echo the broader Western shift toward radical politics Read more
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