mostly red US electoral college map with
a 9-hour time difference between France
where I live and the west coast of the
US polls had been closed for nearly two
hours at that moment my thoughts turned
to what I would say to you today you see
I had originally intended to question
the way we think about the clash of
civilizations individual rights and
aspirations for democracy I had attended
to say must not be thought of as
belonging exclusively to certain
civilizations not least because that
would mean undermining the validity of
universal principles if ever those
civilizations happened to falter I would
have preferred that events in my home
country not impress upon me so sharply
the importance of what I had to say to
you today but they have and they urge me
to make my argument with even greater
conviction the problem that confronts us
today is not oriental or Occidental
northern or southern it concerns all of
us
what is happening politically in states
across the globe today many people in
power are hoping to get there are
selling citizens on a package deal we
will protect you from the dangers of the
world they say if you give us power
what are those dangers according to
populist leaders economic competition
due to globalization political parties
and governments disconnected from the
people and corrupt values that weaken
families and societies they say
now to protect people from such great
dangers Authority is needed so the sales
pitch goes the authority of strong
leaders the authority of the state only
authority can protect that is the
hallmark of populist discourses that
seek both to reassure and instill fear
promise justice and pledge retribution
liberate some and censor others
now some analysts say that these
discourses emanate from a demand from
below the people are dissatisfied
alienated for political processes
populist leaders step up and fill the
gap left by other political elites
that’s where it’s important to
understand how authoritarian populism is
different part and parcel of this brand
of populism is the figure of the
providential leader who will be able to
restore a nation to greatness the cult
of personality allows authoritarians of
all stripes to place themselves above
the political institutions and to use
political institutions for their own
ends bending them to accommodate their
ambition breaking them when bending is
not enough and yet authoritarian
populist remain populist they try to
appeal to ordinary people they try to
appeal to ordinary people clothing
themselves in the attractive attire of
the political outsider so are they the
true spokespeople for the
under-represented there are at least two
reasons to think not one is empirical
the other theoretical first empirically
speaking authoritarian populist
themselves tend to be elites
they present themselves as anti system
outsiders but they inhabit the spheres
of power inaccessible to ordinary people
financial and industrial power legal
power media power and the power of
influence
the second reason concerns what
representation is meant to do
representation is about refining and
enlarging the public views not corseting
and narrowing them that was James
Madison’s argument in Federalist number
10 defending the US Constitution back in
1787
the conservative Irish statesman Edmund
Burke defended a similar conception of
representation in a memorable speech
delivered before his constituents in
1774 for him the duty of the
representative was to bring to bear
unbiased opinion mature judgment and
enlightened conscience in political
deliberation rather than to follow
blindly the wishes of the voters and
back in the fifth century BCE the Greek
philosopher Socrates warned of the
dangers of demagogues who flattered the
people in order to rule over them those
in moderate demagogues warned Socrates
lacked even the capacity to rule over
themselves so how come authoritarian
populist are picking up momentum because
they promised simple solutions to
complex problems feed into people’s
fears and place themselves on the side
of renowned values and traditions
together these three strategies are a
potent catalyst for authoritarian
populism let’s break them down can
authoritarian populist deliver on their
promises to protect the working classes
from increasing competition in a
globalized world any such promise must
recognize the complexity of the issues
at hand
authoritarian populist refused to do so
they promised easy solutions that are
backward-looking economic nationalism a
withdrawal from international
institutions are returned to the
supposed golden age here’s why we should
be wary Superman doesn’t exist
remember the fictional Superman could
turn back time to undo the bad while
leaving the good unchanged well a
fictional well the would-be super men
and women of Planet populism would have
you believe they can – and yet there is
no return we cannot undo history
technological advances or the increases
in productivity engendered by those
advances think about the manufacturing
boom in the US or the glorious 30 years
in France following the end of World War
two
these suppose it golden ages followed on
the cut the cataclysmic conflict that
decimated competition and destroy
infrastructure creating a period of high
demand bolstered by foreign aid economy
saw strong and rapid growth purchasing
power increased along with consumption
an international trade facilitated by
lower trade barriers helped maintain
that purchasing power and high standard
of living in those same countries where
today we hear the sirens of
protectionism singing their beguiling
song the problem is a tariff or won’t
bring back the boom now think about the
alternative to open trade the
alternative is slowing flows of capital
tightening flows of trade and retreating
flows of people and as many economists
argue the cost of stunted international
trade in terms of average real incomes
impacts both developed and developing
countries and actually we don’t need
populist Skeen on
protectionism to bring about this
alternative the Great Recession of 2008
has already slowed flows of people goods
and capital now in Europe many
authoritarian populist are using
refugees to instill fear in people it’s
true that in the midst of a crisis it
can be difficult for citizens to
maintain perspective on the current
situation but it really is important to
gain empirical perspective on this
question consider this in Hungary the
October 2016 referendum intended to keep
out refugees concerned 1290 for asylum
seekers as per the EU agreement that’s
0.01 of a population of about 9.8
million in Lebanon a country of about
5.8 million there are over 1 million
refugees fleeing violence rape and
torture in Syria that’s over 17 percent
of the population in a country whose GDP
per capita is 34 percent less than in
Hungary how about population flows from
Mexico to the US you might ask they’ve
been on the decline since 2009 that’s
according to the nonpartisan Pew
Research Center
so what authoritarian populist are
really good at doing is maximizing their
political opportunity taking advantage
of people’s incomplete perceptions of
the present situation and offering a
wall of false protection does that mean
there is nothing to be done absolutely
not
investing in making economic transitions
creative and productive is possible and
that is a future looking investing in
training young people and retraining the
not-so-young investing in the colossal
untapped profitability of clean energy
technologies these strategies are future
looking
but authoritarian populist are
backward-looking the economic
nationalism they’re trying to sell us
takes us in the same direction as
recessions and wars when flows of people
goods and capital stagnate but they say
it will be good for the underdogs we
will help ordinary people who are not
winning in the globalized world can we
believe them when they say they will be
different that they will bring equality
and protection to those who need it most
it’s true that inequality remains
prevalent today including and developed
economies can we expect greater equality
thanks to authoritarian populist s’ well
experience shows that all too often
promises of equality are betrayed to the
client holistic interests of the few and
used as leverage to maintain the power
of authoritarian populist no matter the
cost but there’s more to it we have to
ask ourselves what is the vision of
equality and justice that authoritarian
populist are peddling with increasing
success it is a vision of exclusion and
division according to this vision
equality and justice can only emerge
once those who have been deemed
undeserving of equality or justice have
been excluded from the nation no
authoritarian populist are not just
engaged on the side of economic
nationalism they’re also engaged in
cultural nationalism and that’s where
the narrative comes full-circle voters
might not know exactly how slowing flows
of people goods and capital will
stimulate the economy but then again
they don’t have to know that’s the point
of the package deal the dismal economic
story is supplemented by a warm
narrative of belonging
like Socrates warned over two millennia
ago authoritarian populist flattered
those over whom they seek to rule
today’s demagogues do this in two ways
first they tell their supporters that
they and they alone are the true people
this is the strategy playing out in
countries of different traditions and
religions across many continents today
inevitably this type of flattery has an
ethnic or cultural dimension it
implicitly or explicitly excludes second
they tell their supporters that their
values and traditions are the only true
ones the only right ones and this is how
the authoritarian populist discourse
manages to seduce so many if you haven’t
been fully convinced about how your
interests will be served by their
policies you will likely identify with
the portrait of genuine citizen they’re
selling and surely succumb to the
flattering idea of your own moral
superiority that’s what they’re counting
on anyway so where does all this get us
if we look around the world today the
picture is pretty clear in many
countries where authoritarian populist
are in power the independence of the
judiciary is being undermined the
constitutional structure of the
separation of powers weakened the media
are increasingly being controlled by
those in power threatening liberty of
the press pluralism is being stifled
purges of the Opposition are taking
place and religious fundamentalism is
gaining ground the rule of law is not
doing well we’re authoritarian populism
has taken root
and misogyny is becoming mainstream
again women’s rights are regressing
women’s choices about their lives and
destinies are seen as threats and the
rights of sexual minorities are being
undermined as well legal protections
against violence and discrimination are
being denied LGBTI citizens security is
being invoked to legitimize the control
of free expression of sexual minorities
so what does this admittedly bleak
picture show us it shows us that
authoritarian populism is authoritarian
in two ways first it is politically
authoritarian it undermines
constitutionalism and the separation of
powers and threatens individual
liberties and the rights of the
opposition second it is morally
authoritarian it often uses religious
rhetoric to shore up its own moral
legitimacy sacrificing vulnerable
minorities on the altar of righteous
indignation and denying women liberty
and equality so what can we do stand up
for Liberty our own and that of others
particularly the most vulnerable use the
heritage of freedom that exists in so
many cultures and histories and memories
to inspire us today the phenomenon of
authoritarian populism shows us that
cultures or civilizations are not
inherently or permanently superior or
inferior enlightened or misguided every
society must affirm and reaffirm for
itself its devotion to Liberty in that
sense we must recognize that every
civilization contains fault lines a
seeds of division and the people willing
to exploit those divisions for their own
advantage
every civilization also contains within
it the seeds of hope and progress
ordinary people
face the present open-mindedly and look
to the future with hope mobilised
individuals who helped to organize the
peaceful and pluralistic dialogue within
so many societies contributing to
constructive deliberation and I conclude
with a word to the political leaders of
today and tomorrow some of whom might be
listening to me today it is time for
leaders women and men of courage and
character who are future looking and
concern for the common good to lead to
show by example that we will not flatter
the worst instincts in the human soul to
recognize how fragile the freedom is and
how noble a responsibility democracy is
to dare to hope thank you [Applause]