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Curated by Project Syndicate

PS Ten Most-read Commentaries on Politics 2016

10 commentaries

Political rage went global in 2016, fueling a populist backlash across the democratic world and appalling terrorist violence in the Middle East, Europe, and beyond. Here are ten commentaries – of the 1,140 published by Project Syndicate during the last 12 months – on the political upheavals of 2016 that resonated most with readers around the world.

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  1. Russia’s Hybrid War Against the West
    NATO Stratcom Ilmars Znotins/Stringer
    Free to read

    Russia’s Hybrid War Against the West

    Dec 23, 2016 Guy Verhofstadt urges Europe to strengthen its defenses against Russian electoral meddling, before it's too late.

  2. Goodbye to the West
    Lincoln Memorial (neoclassicalism) Mladen Anonov/Getty Images
    Free to read

    Goodbye to the West

    Dec 5, 2016 Joschka Fischer sees little hope for the survival of the post-war global order under Donald Trump's US presidency.

  3. Ban the Burkini?
    singer138_Peter Macdiarmid_Getty Images_burqa Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
    Free to read

    Ban the Burkini?

    Sep 8, 2016 Peter Singer thinks societies have a right to prohibit some cultural practices – within limits.

  4. The Meaning of Brexit
    Brexit Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
    Free to read

    The Meaning of Brexit

    Jun 25, 2016 Jeffrey D. Sachs views the UK's decision to leave the EU as a signal of the need for a new kind of globalization.

  5. Britain’s Democratic Failure
    rogoff143_Dan KitwoodGetty Images_davidcameronsad Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

    Britain’s Democratic Failure

    Jun 24, 2016 Kenneth Rogoff explains why nation-defining decisions should not be put to a simple majority vote.

  6. The Queen’s Chinese Guests from Hell
    khrushcheva75_WPA Pool_Getty Images WPA Pool/Getty Images
    Free to read

    The Queen’s Chinese Guests from Hell

    May 17, 2016 Nina L. Khrushcheva sees a deeper message in the "rude" behavior of President Xi Jinping's entourage in London in 2015.

  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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