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Ian Buruma

Ian Buruma

Writing for PS since 2001
203 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, The Churchill Complex: The Curse of Being Special, From Winston and FDR to Trump and Brexit, and, most recently, The Collaborators: Three Stories of Deception and Survival in World War II (Penguin Press, 2023).

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  1. Elected Criminals
    buruma205_Scott EisenGetty Images_trump Scott Eisen/Getty Images

    Elected Criminals

    Sep 6, 2023 Ian Buruma says it is foolish to rely on multiple indictments to prevent Donald Trump from returning to the White House.

  2. For the Love of Trump
    buruma203_Brandon BellGetty Images_trump Brandon Bell/Getty Images

    For the Love of Trump

    Aug 2, 2023 Ian Buruma asks why the thrice-indicted former president continues to be worshipped by Republican Party voters.

  3. Ian Buruma on Taiwan, the paradox of Pax Americana, and the truths political lies reveal
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    Ian Buruma on Taiwan, the paradox of Pax Americana, and the truths political lies reveal

    Aug 1, 2023 Ian Buruma suggests how the United States can defend democracy globally, warns that political violence could mar next year’s presidential election, and highlights the imagined realities that increasingly pervade political life, even in democracies.

  4. Should Rammstein Be Banned?
    buruma201_Gie KnaepsGetty Images_rammstein Gie Knaeps/Getty Images

    Should Rammstein Be Banned?

    Jul 6, 2023 Ian Buruma explains why the German heavy-metal band's art should not be judged by its members' behavior.

  5. Nationalists Abroad
    buruma200_Omer MessingerGetty Images_turkish voting erdogan Omer Messinger/Getty Images

    Nationalists Abroad

    Jun 8, 2023 Ian Buruma explains how displacement can make expatriates and minorities more susceptible to extremist ideologies.

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  1. ito31_EVELYN HOCKSTEINPOOLAFP via Getty Images_modibidenlulag20 Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
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    Whither the G20?

    Takatoshi Ito

    Following the latest G20 summit, the G7 should be thinking seriously about deepening its own ties with more non-aligned countries. If the Ukraine war drags on, and if China continues to threaten to take Taiwan by force, the G20 will be split between friends of the BRICS and friends of the G7.

     sees the grouping as increasingly divided between friends of the G7 and friends of China and Russia.
  2. kitaw1_Per-Anders PetterssonGetty Images_africamining Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images
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    Making the Most of Africa’s Strategic Green Minerals

    Marit Kitaw explains how the continent can move beyond resource extraction to build green industry.
  3. frankel128_ plus49Construction PhotographyAvalonGetty Images_emissions plus49Construction PhotographyAvalonGetty Images
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    America Must Join Europe’s Climate Club

    Gary Yohe & Roger Kuhns urge US policymakers to create a carbon-pricing policy in line with the bloc’s emissions-reduction plan.
  4. ydeng1_ Feng LiGetty Images_chinapolicecorruption Feng Li/Getty Images
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    Measuring Corruption in China

    Yongheng Deng & Shang-Jin Wei outline a novel approach to assessing the extent and scope of the country's graft problem.
  5. tyson115_ Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_local reporters Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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    To Protect Democracy, Revive Local Journalism

    Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca identify promising new models and philanthropic initiatives geared toward supporting independent media.
  6. sjohnson2_ GHIEducation ImagesUniversal Images Group via Getty Images)_chemo GHI/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
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    How to Achieve Universal Cancer Care

    Sonali Johnson urges governments worldwide to include the disease in national health-insurance schemes.
  7. roubini181_mmxxmmGetty Images_digitalclimate mmxxmm/Getty Images
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    What Climate Finance Needs

    Nouriel Roubini & Reza Bundy

    To prevent catastrophic climate change and accelerate the global transition to a net-zero economy, policymakers and asset owners urgently need to rethink how we channel capital at scale. The key is to develop new financial instruments that are profitable, liquid, and easily accessible to savers and investors globally.

     explain what it will take to channel private capital and savings toward sustainable development.
  8. galbraith28_ Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_biden Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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    Down on the Biden Economy

    James K. Galbraith thinks the failure of wages to keep up with inflation explains much of the public’s dour mood.
  9. norloff2_PM ImagesGetty Images_dollar PM Images/Getty Images
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    The Dollar’s Full-Spectrum Dominance

    Carla Norrlöf foresees the greenback’s continued global hegemony owing to network effects and opportunism.

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