Fascism Does Not Begin With Murder but With the Pleasure of Imagining It
Leo Löwenthal warned that far-right agitation turns psychoanalysis on its head, making followers paranoid rather than healing them.
MAGA Forges Christianity Into a Weapon of War
From Hegseth’s crusader tattoos to Thiel’s apocalyptic sermons, MAGA is fusing Christianity with raw political power.
Democracy’s Ratchet Effect: Why the Left and Centre Must Unite Against Rising Authoritarianism
As emergencies mount and extremism feeds on paralysis, democratic forces need more than lowest-common-denominator coalitions to break the cycle of political decay.
Navigating Uncertainty: Germany’s SPD Grapples with Its Future
Despite securing key ministries and policy successes, Germany’s Social Democrats face internal disarray and a fractured vision at their upcoming party conference.
The Shadow of Unfreedom: A New Authoritarianism Grips the Globe
A harsh, right-wing authoritarianism is rising, casting a shadow of unfreedom as classic conservatism fades.
Austria’s Radical Lurch: Kickl’s Power Grab Looms
A radical leader edges towards transforming Austria’s democracy, sparking widespread concern.
Progressives Under Pressure: Confronting the Gradual Rise of Authoritarianism
Progressives face the urgent challenge of defending democracy without reinforcing the very divisions that fuel its decline.
Far-Right surge in Austria: Is Europe headed for an authoritarian wave?
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) has surged to dominance in national elections, with major implications for democracy and political stability.
The ascendant far right: the lust for cruelty
After the elections in eastern-German Länder and ahead of those in Austria, Robert Misik casts an unsentimental eye on far-right voters.
European elections: ghosts of the past
The elections might see not only gains for the right-wing populists but also, Robert Misik warns, a relapse into austerity.
The case for a radical, liberal left
We should counter the radical right, Robert Misik writes, not with left-wing populism but the power of reason.
Israel, Hamas and the Gaza war: delusion and reality
Robert Misik steers a path between Germans hunting ‘anti-Semites’ everywhere and being seen as accomplices to an ‘Israeli genocide’.
Israel and Hamas: the debasement of discourse
Amid escalating deaths, claims and counter-claims, Robert Misik clears the smoke of self-righteous dissembling.
Olaf Scholz, the improbable role model
A state that protects—and a bulwark for democracy and modernity. Is this, Robert Misik asks, the new paradigm of the democratic left?
SPÖ: how not to run a leadership contest
The messy struggle for leadership of Austria’s social democrats, Robert Misik writes, nevertheless has echoes for others.
The good man from Traiskirchen
The Austrian social democrats are heading into a leadership contest, Robert Misik writes. For the SPÖ it could get bumpy.