The election of Donald Trump as US president should not come as a surprise. As Republicans transformed themselves in the image of the once and future president, so should the Democrats have rebranded to fit the unique times and challenges of 2024, but they missed the opportunity. European politicians should pay heed.
What makes an ideology sexy? What does the liberal utopia look like? What does it mean to be a ‘good liberal’ politician, bureaucrat, or a think tank? And how to make liberalism sexy (again)?
In July, the Polish Political Science Yearbook published an article “Liberals Among Us”, which examines the structure and determinants of liberal attitudes in Poland. The article is based on research supported by the Economic Freedom Foundation. Why do some people support liberal ideas, while others are their fierce opponents?
“In what myth does a man live nowadays? (…) What is your myth – the myth in which you do live?” – once asked Carl Jung. The answer that I/we live in a story probably would not satisfy the master, but… for now, I have no other. They lead us through life from event to event, interweaving between what is important to us, edifying or ruinous; between moments when we wonder who and what we are for; when we choose the direction we decide to go.
More and more people claim that liberalism has lost its power and influence over people. It has become entangled in futile discussions, whereas it should set the tone and provide solutions to our current challenges. As a result, it has betrayed the trust of people who see neither the courage of thought nor the consistency of action. How can this situation be changed?
Javier Milei’s victory in the Argentinian presidential elections surprised the world and at the same time inspired a wave of interest in this South American country, about which not much is known in the Czech Republic or Europe in general. What was the political and economic situation in Argentina in recent years that allowed someone with such radical proposals to be elected President, while acting more like a carnival entertainer than a politician?
In order to survive the winter better, we decided to try something new this time, a weekend-long urban seminar. We debated with students about economics and liberalism. We were originally inspired to do this idea years ago by an analyst at the Institute of Economic Affairs, but we never got around to implementing it. Until now, thanks to a generous grant from the Atlas Network.
Liberals in Europe should learn from Trump and Beeblebrox how to run campaigns, to be more out of the box, to dare to disrupt, and promise a change in “the system.”
Populism poses a threat to liberty, free markets, and open society on all continents. How can this development be explained and what can be done about it? These are the two first sentences of the new book written by Nils Karlson titled “Reviving Classical Liberalism Against Populism”.
Europe has been built on the liberal values of democracy, rule of law, liberty, tolerance, and free markets. Yet it seems Europeans are forgetting what these values mean. “Know thyself” is a famous ancient Greek maxim, which Europeans do not seem to take to heart. A series of aggressive actions from Russia over the past decade were not enough for the EU to properly distance itself from Russian energy, until it invaded Ukraine.
