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Ian Buruma

Ian Buruma

Writing for PS since 2001
196 commentaries

Ian Buruma is the author of numerous books, including Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo Van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance, Year Zero: A History of 1945, A Tokyo Romance: A Memoir, and, most recently, The Churchill Complex: The Curse of Being Special, From Winston and FDR to Trump and Brexit (Penguin, 2020).

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  1. The Culture-War Trap
    buruma197_effrey GreenbergUCGUniversal Images Group via Getty Images_bannedbooks Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    The Culture-War Trap

    Mar 6, 2023 Ian Buruma warns that some progressive rhetoric is playing into the hands of the populist right.

  2. The History Trap
    buruma196_ Spencer PlattGetty Images_ukraine Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The History Trap

    Feb 8, 2023 Ian Buruma reflects on how the memory of past wrongs can be misunderstood and exploited by political opportunists.

  3. China’s Autocracy in Crisis
    buruma195_Kevin FrayerGetty Images_xijinping Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

    China’s Autocracy in Crisis

    Jan 9, 2023 Ian Buruma explains why the country’s political system, not COVID-19, is responsible for its pandemic-related distress.

  4. FIFA’s World Cup Follies
    buruma194_Eric VerhoevenSoccratesGetty Images_world cup Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

    FIFA’s World Cup Follies

    Dec 7, 2022 Ian Buruma dives into the thicket of fatuousness, hypocrisy, and greed that the tournament has become.

  5. Should I Stay or Should I Go?
    buruma193_Daro SulakauriGetty Images_russians leaving Daro Sulakauri/Getty Images

    Should I Stay or Should I Go?

    Nov 4, 2022 Ian Buruma describes the dilemma faced by anyone deciding whether to leave their homeland for freedom outside it.

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  1. gaffney4_Leonardo MunozVIEWpress_tax Leonardo Munoz/VIEWpress
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    Tax the Rich to Save the Planet

    Owen Gaffney argues that reducing economic inequality is the key to strengthening democracy and mitigating climate change.
  2. nye240_Yuichiro ChinoGetty Images_worldtechnologyconnection Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images
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    Is Globalization Over?

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr. explains why reports of the death of humanity's interdependence are greatly exaggerated.
  3. goldsmith3_LEONARDO MUNOZAFP via Getty Images_trumpindictment Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images
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    Putin and Trump in the Dock?

    Jack Goldsmith explains the risks associated with pursuing criminal prosecutions against high-profile political figures.
  4. fischer202_JULIEN DE ROSAAFP via Getty Images_ukraine JULIEN DE ROSA/AFP via Getty Images
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    The Great Revision

    Joschka Fischer examines the broader geopolitical restructuring that was triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
  5. op_feld2_Mike KempIn Pictures via Getty Images_inflation Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images
    3

    Why Inflation Persists

    Lars P. Feld

    What "Team Transitory" has missed in the inflation debate is that inflation tends to become persistent because of second-round effects. Not only have producer prices risen over the past year or so, but they also have not yet been fully passed through the value chain.

     navigates the complex array of factors that give rise to one of the biggest problems in macroeconomics.
  6. haldar19_ Beata ZawrzelNurPhoto via Getty Images_wanted putin Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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    Wanted: Vladimir Putin

    Antara Haldar explains why the International Criminal Court’s indictment is more than just a symbolic victory.
  7. BP financial crisis Anadolu Agency / Contributor via Getty Images
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    Here We Go Again?

    Fifteen years after the collapse of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers triggered a devastating global financial crisis, the banking system is in trouble again. Central bankers and financial regulators each seem to bear some of the blame for the recent tumult, but there is significant disagreement over how much – and what, if anything, can be done to avoid a deeper crisis.

  8. roubini175_Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images_debt crisis Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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    The Coming Doom Loop

    Nouriel Roubini warns that liquidity support will not be enough to prevent a deeper financial crisis and economic downturn.
  9. james202_FABRICE COFFRINIAFP via Getty Images_ubs credit suisse FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images
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    Crises of Uncertainty

    Harold James fears the consequences of policymakers’ continual revision of economic and financial governance rules.

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