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Jan-Werner Mueller

Jan-Werner Mueller

62 commentaries

Jan-Werner Mueller, Professor of Politics at Princeton University, is the author, most recently, of Democracy Rules (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021; Allen Lane, 2021).

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  1. Normalizing the Normalization of the Far Right
    mueller57_Michael KappelerPoolGettyImages_merz_weidel_debate Michael Kappeler/Pool/Getty Images

    Normalizing the Normalization of the Far Right

    Feb 17, 2025 Jan-Werner Mueller explores the most common justifications that politicians offer for working with anti-democratic forces.

  2. Confronting the Pandemic’s Toxic Political Legacy
    mueller56_SOPA ImagesGettyImages_covid_prostest SOPA Images/Getty Images

    Confronting the Pandemic’s Toxic Political Legacy

    Jan 27, 2025 Jan-Werner Mueller supports calls for countries to carry out independent inquiries into how the COVID-19 crisis was handled.

  3. When the Left Goes Far Right
    mueller55_Maja HitijGetty Images_bsw Maja Hitij/Getty Images

    When the Left Goes Far Right

    Nov 4, 2024 Jan-Werner Mueller considers what drives some politicians to reverse their political allegiances.

  4. Populism’s Lost Summer
    mueller54_CHRISTIAN MONTERROSAAFP via Getty Images_trump CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images

    Populism’s Lost Summer

    Aug 16, 2024 Jan-Werner Mueller explains how to defeat far-right, anti-democratic parties in the public square and at the ballot box.

  5. Why Macronism Failed
    mueller53_LUDOVIC MARINAFP via Getty Images_macron Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images

    Why Macronism Failed

    Jul 1, 2024 Jan-Werner Mueller thinks a series of lucky breaks masked the essential incoherence of the French president's political project.

  1. palacio166_Andrew HarnikGettyImages_modi_arriving Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    India Has Arrived

    Ana Palacio charts the country’s transition from passive observer to active shaper of international affairs.
  2. mottley8_CHEWY LINAFP via Getty Images_islandclimatechange Chewy Lin/AFP via Getty Images

    Climate Action Demands Global Fraternity

    Mia Amor Mottley argues that human solidarity must underpin scientific, technological, financial, and diplomatic measures.
  3. mueller57_Michael KappelerPoolGettyImages_merz_weidel_debate Michael Kappeler/Pool/Getty Images

    Normalizing the Normalization of the Far Right

    Jan-Werner Mueller

    History and social science research show that voters take their cues from elites. When politicians who are seen as mainstream treat an extremist far-right party as normal, public opinion will tend to follow; and once such normalization has happened, as in Europe today, it is virtually impossible to undo.

    explores the most common justifications that politicians offer for working with anti-democratic forces.
  4. haass177_Montinique MonroeGetty Images_trumpoil Montinique Monroe/Getty Images

    Tackling Climate Change in the Age of Trump

    Richard Haass & Carolyn Kissane

    Since returning to the White House, Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Paris climate agreement, rescinded emissions-reduction targets, and ended climate-related initiatives. But a range of potential initiatives that are consistent with the Trump administration’s priorities could still slow climate change.

    argue that reconciling what is desirable with what is feasible requires a new approach.
  5. benami222_Dia ImagesGettyImages_al-sharaa_erdogan Dia Images/Getty Images

    The Fight for Syria

    Shlomo Ben-Ami worries that Israel and Turkey, with their clashing ambitions, could undermine the country’s stability.
  6. wei68_EITAN ABRAMOVICHAFP via Getty Image_mercosureudeal Eitan Abramovich/AFP via Getty Images

    How to Counter Trump's Tariffs Productively?

    Shang-Jin Wei proposes steps that allies and rivals alike can take to mitigate the effects of American trade policies.
  7. ghosh85_NOAH SEELAMAFP via Getty Images_indiaaadhaar Noah Seelam/AFP via Getty Images

    Weaponizing Data Against Democracy

    Jayati Ghosh explains why and how authoritarian leaders like Narendra Modi hide or manipulate official figures.
  8. james227_Central PressGettyImages_neville_chamberlain_munich_pact Central Press/Getty Images

    Alternatives to Trump’s Russia Appeasement

    Harold James explains how France and Britain can guarantee Ukraine’s security now that America has effectively surrendered.
  9. op_malmendier1_ INA FASSBENDERAFP via Getty Images_germanyrailway Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

    Germany at a Crossroads

    Ulrike Malmendier, et al. urge policymakers to pursue bold structural reforms, rather than clinging to an outdated growth model.

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