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Ian Buruma

Ian Buruma

Writing for PS since 2001
192 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. 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.

  2. Hide the Swastikas
    buruma192_JONATHAN NACKSTRANDAFP via Getty Images_sweden democrats JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

    Hide the Swastikas

    Sep 29, 2022 Ian Buruma examines the renaissance and governing prospects of Europe’s far-right political parties.

  3. Free Speech Is Not a License to Kill
    buruma191_Johnny LouisGetty Images_salmanrushdie Johnny Louis/Getty Images

    Free Speech Is Not a License to Kill

    Aug 29, 2022 Ian Buruma argues that political and religious leaders who stoke hatred must bear some responsibility for the consequences.

  4. Trump’s True Believers
    buruma190_Andrew LichtensteinCorbis via Getty Images_USelectionprotest Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

    Trump’s True Believers

    Aug 4, 2022 Ian Buruma explains the former US president’s continuing deep-rooted appeal to many Republicans.

  5. Catholics v. the Constitution
    buruma189_ Brooks Kraft LLCCorbis via Getty Images_supremecourtcatholicpriest Brooks Kraft/LLC/Corbis via Getty Images

    Catholics v. the Constitution

    Jun 30, 2022 Ian Buruma warns that a Supreme Court now controlled by religious radicals poses a grave threat to US institutions.

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  1. pisaniferry140_Sean GallupGetty Images_cop27 Sean GallupGetty Images
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    The Economics of Mainstreaming Climate Action

    Jean Pisani-Ferry & Selma Mahfouz identify the risks and short-term costs associated with the energy transition over the next decade.
  2. haldar15_ Tayfun CoskunAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_twitter Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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    Killing Twitter

    Antara Haldar explains what Elon Musk fundamentally misunderstands about the platform – and about free speech.
  3. emmott41_musk
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    The Napoleons of Big Tech

    Bill Emmott

    Recent events in the technology sector suggest that investors and lenders should be demanding a premium to cover the risk that a star entrepreneur will become an egomaniacal dictator. With each business cycle, it seems, old lessons must be relearned.

     sees in the industry’s harsh reckoning this year lessons that apparently can’t be learned often enough.
  4. BP - ftx NurPhoto / Contributor via Getty Images
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    The Crypto Emperor’s New Clothes

    The collapse of several crypto platforms this year – including the spectacular crash of the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, FTX – has raised fundamental questions about the credibility of a digital innovation once hailed as the key to democratizing finance. Has crypto finally been exposed as a scam, or will a new, stronger crypto industry emerge from the current turmoil?

  5. berkley13_Tafadzwa UfumeliGetty Images_covax vaccines Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images
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    The Climate Crisis Is Also a Health Crisis

    Seth Berkley & Werner Hoyer explain why global leaders must urgently introduce equitable pandemic-response mechanisms.
  6. patten147_ Leon NealGetty Images_sunak Leon Neal/Getty Images
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    Rishi Sunak’s Daunting Challenge

    Chris Patten urges the UK prime minister to join the battle for the soul of the Conservative Party after a disastrous year.
  7. johnson156_LOIC VENANCEAFP via Getty Images LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images
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    Russia’s Financial Crisis Must Come Sooner

    Simon Johnson shows why a low price cap for the country’s crude exports would render the Kremlin’s war economy untenable.
  8. sheng131Jiang QimingChina News Service via Getty Images_pboc Jiang Qiming/China News Service via Getty Images
    3

    QE with Chinese Characteristics?

    Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng urge China to use monetary policy to tackle some of the biggest challenges it faces.
  9. borrell18_ Muhammed Emin CanikAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_borrellargentina Muhammed Emin Canik/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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    Why Europe and Latin America Need Each Other

    Josep Borrell urges European Union and Latin American leaders to revive momentum toward a long-overdue trade agreement.

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