“We all know Iran, don’t we? Or at least we think we do”. So said John Simpson, BBC World Affairs Editor, on air in the early 1990s. A veteran Iran reporter, Simpson had accompanied Ayatollah Khomeini on his return flight to Iran in 1979 from exile in France. The point he was making was… Continue reading “Radical-Right Demonization of Soleimani and Iran: Islamophobic Weaponry in the Public Sphere”
For Donald Trump, evangelicals represent a crucial electorate — one which he cannot afford to affront. Now in the final year of his first — or only? — presidential term, Donald Trump is in trouble. Haunted time and again by new revelations of shady, if not criminal, behavior, and ridiculed by his political peers, even… Continue reading “Evangelical Blues, or How Supporting Trump Discredits Christianity”
When it comes to Trump, Republicans choose to either leave the party or twist themselves into sycophancy. We rarely see them speak out and stand firm. The impeachment of President Donald Trump and his impending trial in the US Senate has created a crisis atmosphere in the GOP. Fortunately for those of us observing these… Continue reading “Republican Impeachment Crisis: Exit, Voice, Or Loyalty”
Part 1 of this blog summarised current psychological theories relevant to understanding far-right personalities and behaviour. The following sections summarise the data on three non-violent far-right supporters, and analyse to what extent these theories are born out[1]. Case 1: Male aged 76, UKIP and Britain First Supporter The author has known this individual (Subject 1)… Continue reading “Jekyll-and-Hyde: What Creates a Far-Right Supporter? Part 2.”
Much has been written about the development of the personalities and other psychological characteristics of Alt-Right/far-right leaders such as Donald Trump (e.g. authors in Cruz and Buser, 2017; Waring & Paxton, 2019) and of violent far-right extremists – such as Anders Breivik, Thomas Mair, and Darren Osborne (e.g. Jackson (2019), Melle (2013), Turner-Graham (2019a), and… Continue reading “Jekyll-and-Hyde: What Creates a Far-Right Supporter? Part 1.”
The White House aide’s emails frightened America, and rightly so. But the bigger story is a vast racist network that has shocking reach into the GOP. Even amid the impeachment drama, the tranche of emails unearthed this month by the Southern Poverty Law Center has been attention-grabbing. The communications, sent in 2015 and 2016 by current Trump… Continue reading “The Creepy Racist Network Behind Trump Aide Stephen Miller”
The trend of Trump support and rise of authoritarian leaders in some African countries showcases the surge of the radical right is beyond the western world. It is true to say that the majority of academic work on the radical right focuses primarily on Europe and the United States. While current political trends across much… Continue reading “The Surprising Trend of Trump Support in Africa”
Through racial grievance politics and voter suppression tactics, the GOP has clung to power by cultivating a fearful minority of white voters. The dominance of white voters in American elections is under threat. Latinos, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and those of Native American descent now represent a growing and active part of America’s electorate. If the demographic… Continue reading “How Republicans Engineered Minority Rule”
Much has been made of President Donald Trump’s recent announcement about purchasing Greenland from Denmark. Although at first the statement was ridiculed and treated with amazement, it was soon pointed out that the United States had historically expanded much of its land area by way of purchase. Alaska, Louisiana, Florida and the Gadsden Purchase are… Continue reading “Connecting Trump in Greenland with Germany’s Second and Third Reich”
Much has been written about Steve Bannon’s influence on the worldview and policies of Donald Trump. Much less about the man who David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, a few years ago characterized as “the most influential public intellectual in America today”. The reference is to Pat Buchanan, the perennial thorn in the… Continue reading “Icons of Radical Right-Wing Populism: Pat Buchanan, the Political Horse Whisperer”