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Curated by Project Syndicate

Out of Order?

36 commentaries

The inauguration of US President Donald Trump and rising populism in Europe pose a fundamental threat to the liberal world order, underpinned by the UN, the EU, NATO, the IMF, and the World Bank. Can peace be maintained and economies thrive in a world where nationalism displaces multilateral institutions?

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  1. Aligning the West for an Uncertain World
    May at Downing St Stefan Rosseau/PA Images

    Aligning the West for an Uncertain World

    Jan 18, 2017 Iain Conn urges the US, UK, and EU to show a united front in the face of multiple global challenges.

  2. The New Year and the New Populism
    5 star movement in Italy AFP/Stringer

    The New Year and the New Populism

    Jan 17, 2017 Margaret MacMillan argues that the new populism has clarified the link between nationalism and authoritarianism.

  3. Europe’s Values Are Its Best Defense
    Rally at Tory conference NurPhoto

    Europe’s Values Are Its Best Defense

    Jan 13, 2017 Donald Tusk warns that an internally broken EU will be incapable of rising to any of the challenges it faces.

  4. Democracy, Inclusion, and Prosperity
    Indian entrepreneurs coffee business in New Delhi Mint/Getty Images

    Democracy, Inclusion, and Prosperity

    Jan 12, 2017 Raghuram G. Rajan says we cannot complacently assume that political freedom always creates economic prosperity.

  5. Hoping for the Best Against Trump
    NYC Trump Resistance group Pacific Press

    Hoping for the Best Against Trump

    Jan 10, 2017 Ian Buruma asks whether liberals have any reason to feel optimistic after a year of political disasters.

  6. Democracy’s Broken Promises
    sunset capitol hill MikeyLPT

    Democracy’s Broken Promises

    Jan 5, 2017 Andrés Velasco believes rising populism reflects a significant principal-agent problem within liberal democracies.

  1. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  2. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  3. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  4. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  5. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  6. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  7. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  8. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.
  9. op_mkurz3_Spencer PlattGetty Images_rustbelt Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    How Capitalism Became a Threat to Democracy

    Mordecai Kurz examines the economic policies and market dynamics that have ushered in America's Second Gilded Age.

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