Many observers breathed a sigh of relief at the results of the European Parliament elections, because the widely predicted far-right surge did not dislodge traditional conservatives. But even if far-right forces do not dominate the next European Parliament, they have gained ground, particularly in France and Germany. Can mainstream politicians and parties reverse this trend?
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Whether generative artificial intelligence will do more harm or good to our families, economies, and societies remains an open question. In devising strategies for harnessing the technology, optimism is undoubtedly warranted, but it should not come at the expense of realism.
Governments that had spent nearly a half-century preaching the virtues of free trade, deregulation, and hyperglobalization are now imposing import tariffs and export restrictions, adopting industrial policies, and lavishing subsidies on domestic firms in favored sectors, like green tech. With many observers heralding the death of neoliberalism, we asked PS commentators what comes next.
A spate of new US tariffs on Chinese goods has raised the specter of full economic decoupling between the world’s two largest economies. For many observers, the measures are not only misguided, but also counter-productive, with the potential to undermine economic dynamism, hamper climate action, and trigger geopolitical conflict.
It is both the best and the worst of times for democracy – or at least for voting. Although a record-breaking four billion people across 76 countries will have cast ballots in elections this year, democratic institutions are increasingly under strain, and leading watchdogs warn of a broad-based global trend toward “autocratization.”
