The Rise of Populism: Trump versus Putin

Please join us for a lecture by Victoria Zhuravleva, Head of the Center for North American Studies, Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) Moscow, Russia.

In the last few years the notion of “populism” has become one of the most frequently mentioned global trends. An army of populist politicians, brought to power by angry people disappointed by traditional elites and frustrated by the economic and social effects of globalization, is scrutinized worldwide by experts and the media who search for common ground and a universal recipe to disarm it.

But does one unique answer to this challenge really exist? Should we accept the idea of a “populist disease” as a universal effect of globalization? Or are there regional trends, national transformations, and cultural codes that could explain the the popularity of politicians who break the rules and base their agendas on frequently irrational ideas that speak loudly to the hearts (if not minds) of frustrated people? Certainly, international trends matter in this time of globalization, but in the face of these international challenges, each country and each nation separately constructs and maintains a government-society dialogue based on its political culture and traditions. As such, we all have a different form of populism.

Do Russia, with its authoritarian leaders appealing to the popular desire for a “strong hand,” and the US, with its strong democratic traditions being flouted by the unconventional Donald Trump in the name of popular appeal, have something in common today? Or do these two forms of populism differ so much that there’s no common ground?