elections

  The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once said: “The highest form of recognition in Germany is envy.” I have always tended to disagree with this. Over the past 80 years, Germany has been an extraordinarily successful country, rebuilding itself from the ashes of World War II and developing one of the world’s most efficient economies. […]

  The Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) won some 44 percent of the vote in the election for the regional parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD is labeled “populist” and “right-wing” by most media and is marginalized by all other political parties in Germany. The German domestic intelligence service, which depends directly on the chancellor, has declared […]

  Elections are supposed to change things. And in one sense, they do: when a populist government loses power, the rhetoric changes almost overnight. The speeches shift in tone, the enemy-of-the-people framing disappears, and international observers breathe a collective sigh of relief. But rhetoric is not policy. And policy, it turns out, is far stickier […]

  Hungary’s April 12 election, which delivered a landslide victory for the opposition Tisza party, reflects deep economic dissatisfaction. Tisza’s leader, Peter Magyar, proved an effective campaigner. Yet ideologically, the divide is less stark than often portrayed – both major camps are rooted in Christian-conservative traditions. The transition going smoothly: Prime Minister Viktor Orban congratulated his successor. The […]

  In early 2025, revelations emerged that Argentine President Javier Milei had promoted $LIBRA, a cryptocurrency that subsequently collapsed and left thousands of investors with significant losses. The evidence that came to light over the last few days points to a knowingly and voluntarily participation by the president and his closest staff. For many outside observers, the […]