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PRINCETON — The satirist Karl Kraus observed about his native Austria in 1899: “When the constitution is violated, the people just yawn.” How upset Austrians really were last week when Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was accused of corruption is unclear. But the charges, and the public leaks of vulgar chats involving Kurz and his colleagues, were serious enough to prompt his always
What threatens press freedom today? May 05,2021 - Last updated at May 05,2021 BERLIN — Donald Trump’s presidency was bookended by the White House pushing “alternative facts” about the size of the crowd at Trump’s inauguration at the US Capitol and his violent supporters scrawling “Murder the Media” on the Capitol’s doors. While Trump is gone (for now), professional media remain at risk — and not just in the United States. The watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) considers the state of press freedom “good” in a mere 12 countries — fewer than ever before. The m...
Jan 25, 2021 BERLIN – Liberals around the world are daring to hope that there is a silver lining to the violent denouement of Donald Trump’s presidency: namely, that the inciter-in-chief’s ignominious exit from the political stage will chasten authoritarian populists elsewhere. Unfortunately, their optimism is naive. Contrary to the cliche about a populist “wave” sweeping the world in recent years, the rise and fall of populist leaders tends not to have significant transnational effects. Just as there is no honor among thieves, there was no solidarity among the supposed pop...
Remove and ban Trump now Jan 12,2021 - Last updated at Jan 12,2021 BERLIN — A year ago, jurists and pundits were debating whether impeaching an American president is primarily a matter of law or of politics. It is both, of course, and there is nothing wrong with the political part. Under the US Constitution, it is politicians, not courts, who are supposed to judge whether a president has committed “high crimes and misdemeanors,” and, crucially, whether a chief executive poses an ongoing threat to the republic. With less than two weeks to go before Joe Biden replaces Donald Trump in the ...
The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, incited by Trump, represents something new and profane in American history.