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Ian Buruma

Ian Buruma

Writing for PS since 2001
219 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, The Collaborators: Three Stories of Deception and Survival in World War II, and, most recently, Spinoza: Freedom’s Messiah (Yale University Press, 2024).

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  1. Ukraine’s Existential Culture War
    buruma221_DIMITAR DILKOFFAFP via Getty Images_ukrainerussiastatues Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images

    Ukraine’s Existential Culture War

    Jan 7, 2025 Ian Buruma thinks the country is justified in banning Russian art, even though it runs counter to humanist principles.

  2. Truth or Trumpian Consequences
    buruma220_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_trumpjournalists Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Truth or Trumpian Consequences

    Dec 13, 2024 Ian Buruma warns American liberals not to double down on ideological posturing in response to fear of authoritarianism.

  3. The Laugh Is on the Democrats
    buruma219_AngelaWeissGettyImages_hinchcliffe_trump_rally2 Angela Weiss/Getty Images

    The Laugh Is on the Democrats

    Nov 8, 2024 Ian Buruma sees Donald Trump’s victory as a rebellion of the culturally dispossessed who relish his insult comedy.

  4. Warrior Nations of the Middle East
    buruma218_ JACK GUEZAFP via Getty Images_crisis israel JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

    Warrior Nations of the Middle East

    Oct 8, 2024 Ian Buruma shows how shame and humiliation have shaped national identities that countenance further killing.

  5. The Greatest Show on Earth
    buruma217_Kevin DietschGetty Images_dnc Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

    The Greatest Show on Earth

    Aug 28, 2024 Ian Buruma describes the Democratic National Convention in Chicago as a remarkable performance of authenticity.

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  1. slaughter108_Iranian PresidencyAnadolu via Getty Images_BRICS Iranian Presidency/Anadolu via Getty Images
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    Middle Powers and the Art of the Deal

    Anne-Marie Slaughter foresees the world under Donald Trump becoming like a bazaar, to the benefit of multi-aligned countries.
  2. op_bivens1_JIM WATSONAFP via Getty Images_bidenworkers Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
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    America’s Workers Are About to Be Forgotten Again

    Josh Bivens & Heidi Shierholz

    Whatever his failings, Joe Biden did more for the typical American working family than any other president in at least a generation. Tragically, Americans who remain angry about chronic economic injustices will soon realize that the situation can get much worse.

     contrast the Biden administration's pro-worker policies with what Donald Trump is likely to do.
  3. ghosh84_NurPhotoGettyImages_wind_power_grid NurPhoto/Getty Images
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    Decommodify Electricity

    Jayati Ghosh shows why the market cannot mobilize the clean-energy investments needed to accelerate the green transition.
  4. moyo31_VCGVCG via Getty Images_semiconductors VCG via Getty Images
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    Three Reasons Why AI’s Momentum Could Stall in 2025

    Dambisa Moyo

    While artificial intelligence has the potential to drive global growth and boost productivity, the industry is grappling with mounting challenges like soaring development costs and energy requirements. Meanwhile, investors are questioning whether AI investments can deliver meaningful returns.

     identifies three negative trends that could stifle innovation and slow the pace of technological progress.
  5. arezki20_Miguel CandelaSOPA ImagesLightRocket via Getty Images_indiamanufacturing Miguel Candela/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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    Solving India’s Industrialization Puzzle

    Rabah Arezki & Partha Sen ask why, unlike Bangladesh and Vietnam, manufacturing has not benefited from rising labor costs in China.
  6. perincek1_RODGER BOSCHAFP via Getty Images_africarareearthmine Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images
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    Ensuring Europe’s Supply of Critical Minerals

    Rüya Perincek & Andreas Goldthau call for coordinated funding, resource diplomacy, and secondary material partnerships to boost recycling.
  7. tyson122_Andrew HarnikGettyImages_gavin_newsom Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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    Readying the Resistance, Again

    Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca see Democrat-controlled states as a potential check on Donald Trump’s far-right agenda.
  8. khrushcheva189_Konstantin ZavrazhinGettyImages_nostalgic_man Konstantin Zavrazhin/Getty Images
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    Russia’s Nostalgia Machine

    Nina L. Khrushcheva explores how the Kremlin relies on an idealized version of the past to comfort – and subdue – the public.
  9. goldberg33_Lauren DeCiccaGetty Images_shippinglaos Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
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    The Trade Shifts Redefining Economic Development

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg & Michele Ruta consider the long-term implications of three major trends that could reshape globalization.

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