In The News

New Republic: Why Brazilians Elected Bolsonaro

Andre Pagliarini November 15, 2018
Brazilians, in electing Jair Bolsonaro as president, yearn for order and economic prosperity. The military is the country’s most trusted public institution. But Bolsonaro has dismissed human rights and opposed limits on Brazilian police to rely on firepower. He had a troubled record in the military under civilian rule and praised the military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985...

The Atlantic: Education Divides the US

Adam Harris November 7, 2018
Political divisions that linger over decades are difficult to resolve quickly. Adam Harris, writing for the Atlantic, points to an emerging divide among US white voters: 61 percent of those without college educations select Republicans and 53 percent with college educations select Democrats. About 50 years ago, college degrees were less common, more often held by Republicans. The civil rights...

Financial Times: World Fears “Trumpism” Is Here to Stay

Gideon Rachman November 6, 2018
Global observers view the outcome of US midterm elections as a test of the durability of Donald Trump’s policies. “If the Republicans do well, then many will conclude that ‘Trumpism’ is here to stay,” explains Gideon Rachman for the Financial Times. “The rest of the world would have to make a long-term adjustment to an America that is highly protectionist and suspicious of treaties on principle...

Sunday Express: US Midterms and Foreign Policy

November 5, 2018
The world awaits the outcome of the US mid-term elections, which will decide all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the Senate. If Democrats win either chamber, the president’s policies will face new scrutiny: A “Democratic majority's greatest influence will be oversight, the ability to call hearings and, if necessary, subpoena witnesses, as they chair committees like...

Folha De S. Paulo: Investors Eye Brazil Election

Taís Hirata October 27, 2018
Brazil, like many other democracies, is polarized over politics and foreign investment. Voters head to the polls on 28 October to select between far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro and leftist Fernando Haddad. Bolsonaro has led in the polls, and China eyes the outcome, concerned about Bolsonaro’s nationalist views. “The candidate, already known for his criticism towards former state companies that...

BBC News: Merkel’s Three Challenges

Jenny Hill October 15, 2018
Chancellor Angela Merkel's already weakened government confronts challenges after Sunday's election in Germany’s largest federal state – Bavaria. Jenny Hill explains for BBC News that the ruling Christian Social Union, a coalition partner with Merkel’s more conservative Christian Democrat Union, lost its majority in the Bavarian state parliament. The party’s leader still serves as...

NewStatesman: Why Sweden Is Turning Right

Andrew Brown September 17, 2018
The Scandinavian countries have long been a role model on human rights, equality and control over globalization. But Sweden is slowly showing a rightward shift, and its leading anti-immigrant party, the Sweden Democrats won 17 percent in the September election. Swedes worry about a loss of control with the shutdown of traditional industries like shipyards, increased crime and changes in culture...