The rise of right-wing populism
The anti-Muslim riots in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002 claimed the lives of about 2000 Muslims. They have been called “organised political massacres” of Muslims, and many independent…
The curse of populism
The scales have seldom been tipped so much in favour of any other prime minister. With the key institutions fully behind him; opponents already behind bars or struggling to keep…
The limits of populism
Politics is like alchemy. One wrong ingredient here or there and your life’s work can go up in flames. The smoke from Lodhran shows that Imran Khan has done just…
Populism?
Trump’s populism, like so much of his public image, is a deceptive marketing ploy. When it comes to actual policy, Trump is proposing mostly the same regressive ideas that Republican…
Populism over pragmatism
Charles the First once said, “Democracy is the power of equal votes for unequal minds”. This saying now echoes across Europe after Britain decided to exit the European Union over…
Brands of populism
Donald Trump’s ascension to the US presidency has produced a whole host of explanations for his wild card path to power. The widely held explanation is that he tapped into…
The limits of populism
THE crowd at his rallies keeps getting bigger and Imran Khan’s tenor angrier and harsher. He keeps the audience enthralled by his relentless attack on the government that has failed…
Populism’s second coming
Populist rhetoric has been used to sustain the Islamabad dharnas long enough to justify an inquiry into its impact on the country’s politics. This is the second time in Pakistan’s…
Mindless populism
It has been over four weeks now since the Nato ground supply line through the Torkham border was blocked. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has declared it a tactical victory for its…
Against populism
Populism is the new cloak of right-wing politics in Pakistan. As elsewhere, this emergent rightist populism is constructed upon the pillars of hyper-patriotism, xenophobia and rhetoric of anti-politics. Its manifest…
