Category Archives: the public

The revolt of the public in 10 minutes

Posted on May 20, 2020 by thefifthwave

The following video was my participation in the virtual class “Politics and Populism,” taught by one of my favorite contemporary thinkers, Yascha Mounk, at Johns Hopkins University.  

Posted in democracy, elites, the public | 4 Comments

2019: The year revolt went global

Posted on December 10, 2019 by thefifthwave

Revolt as Consumer Backlash Beyond Washington DC, Donald Trump, and impeachment, there lies a great big world – and that world, at the moment, is being convulsed by a remarkable number of revolts against political authority.  I will let Tyler … Continue reading →

Posted in cataclysm, the public | 38 Comments

Populism and the trauma of history

Posted on April 16, 2019 by thefifthwave

Populism Is a Door That Swings Both Ways Let me introduce you to Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who became president of Mexico in January of this year.  He’s a populist of the left.  I bring him up because there’s a … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, narratives, the public | 1 Comment

The revolt of the Yellow Vests: My interview with Atlantico.fr

Posted on March 25, 2019 by thefifthwave

[The following is my interview with Nicolas Goetzmann, chief economics editor of Atlantico.fr, a French online publication.  It was translated into French and published Saturday, March 23.  Francophones who wish to read it can link to it here. The interview … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, geopolitics, the public | 2 Comments

Has modern government failed?

Posted on March 12, 2019 by thefifthwave

I want to point readers of this blog to Noah Smith’s generous review of The Revolt of the Public (ROTP), posted a couple of weeks ago.  I would characterize the piece as “critical engagement” – for an analyst, the ideal … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, the public | 4 Comments

Europe: Populism and the agony of the elites

Posted on December 18, 2018 by thefifthwave

Over the past month, protests have swept across France.  What began as an objection to the fuel tax became violent displays of general outrage.  These are the surface symptoms of a deeper crisis of authority in Europe’s political order.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, geopolitics, the public | 9 Comments

The schizoid presidency of Donald Trump

Posted on January 3, 2018 by thefifthwave

The Curious Schism Between Trump and Trump How is one to think of a president who is unfit for office in his rhetoric and presentation yet mainstream in his policies and actions? I speak, of course, of Donald Trump.  Who … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, the public | 10 Comments

Video: My presentation

Posted on December 8, 2017 by thefifthwave

For those who prefer image to text, here is the video of my presentation to the Hannah Arendt Center’s conference on “Crises of Democracy” at Bard College.

Posted in democracy, the public | 1 Comment

The revolt of the public and the “age of post-truth”

Posted on May 31, 2017 by thefifthwave

With Elites and With the Truth, It’s Complicated Three years ago I remarked that the public was engaged in a messy divorce from the elites who run the great institutions of the industrial age.  That bit of scandal is by … Continue reading →

Posted in democracy, the public | 21 Comments

2016: A hard rain

Posted on January 4, 2017 by thefifthwave

The Tipping-point of Revolt In 2016, a furious political tempest ravaged the democratic world.  Popular politicians – presidents and prime ministers – were toppled from on high and hurled into oblivion.  Exotic creatures, originating far from the old mainstream, were … Continue reading →

Posted in cataclysm, democracy, the public | 7 Comments