Skip to main content
Access provided by

Ian Buruma

Ian Buruma

Writing for PS since 2001
196 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).

Sort by: Show:
  1. The Culture-War Trap
    buruma197_effrey GreenbergUCGUniversal Images Group via Getty Images_bannedbooks Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

    The Culture-War Trap

    Mar 6, 2023 Ian Buruma warns that some progressive rhetoric is playing into the hands of the populist right.

  2. The History Trap
    buruma196_ Spencer PlattGetty Images_ukraine Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    The History Trap

    Feb 8, 2023 Ian Buruma reflects on how the memory of past wrongs can be misunderstood and exploited by political opportunists.

  3. China’s Autocracy in Crisis
    buruma195_Kevin FrayerGetty Images_xijinping Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

    China’s Autocracy in Crisis

    Jan 9, 2023 Ian Buruma explains why the country’s political system, not COVID-19, is responsible for its pandemic-related distress.

  4. FIFA’s World Cup Follies
    buruma194_Eric VerhoevenSoccratesGetty Images_world cup Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

    FIFA’s World Cup Follies

    Dec 7, 2022 Ian Buruma dives into the thicket of fatuousness, hypocrisy, and greed that the tournament has become.

  5. 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.

Follow Ian Buruma

Never miss a commentary by Ian Buruma

  1. bildt109_JAAFAR ASHTIYEHAFP via Getty Images_israelpalestinewestbank Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images
    1

    Hell in the Holy Land

    Carl Bildt fears that the stage is set for another major violent conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
  2. strain11_Chip SomodevillaGetty Images_fed Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
    0

    The Fed Must Not Flinch

    Michael R. Strain urges the US central bank to continue raising interest rates, despite signs of financial-sector fragility.
  3. sheng135_Carl CourtGetty Images_maldivesclimatechange Carl Court/Getty Images
    0

    Reimagining Development

    Andrew Sheng & Xiao Geng argue that grassroots engagement and social enterprise are crucial to achieving countries' aspirations.
  4. goldberg22_ERIC BARADATAFP via Getty Images_world bank ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images
    1

    What the World Bank Can Do About Climate Change

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg explains how the institution can maximize its contribution to the global net-zero agenda.
  5. GettyImages-1171447879
    3

    Richard Haass on Russia, Taiwan, and US democracy

    Richard Haass explains what caused the Ukraine war, urges the West to scrutinize its economic dependence on China, proposes ways to reverse the dangerous deterioration of democracy in America, and more.
  6. buiter45_Jabin BotsfordThe Washington Post via Getty Image_jeromepowell Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
    6

    Price Stability vs. Financial Stability?

    Willem H. Buiter

    If the US Federal Reserve raises its policy interest rate by as much as is necessary to rein in inflation, it will most likely further depress the market value of the long-duration securities parked on many banks' balance sheets. So be it.

     thinks central banks can achieve both, despite the occurrence of a liquidity crisis amid high inflation.
  7. frankel145_ Richard Baker In Pictures via Getty Images_exchangerates Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images
    0

    Fifty Years of Floating Currencies

    Jeffrey Frankel

    The half-century since the official demise of the Bretton Woods system of fixed exchange rates has shown the benefits of what replaced it. While some may feel nostalgic for the postwar monetary system, its collapse was inevitable, and what looked like failure has given rise to a remarkably resilient regime.

     explains why the shift toward exchange-rate flexibility after 1973 was not a policy failure, as many believed.
  8. harrington34_Drew AngererGetty Images_avril haines Drew Angerer/Getty Images
    0

    What Do America’s Spies Really Think About China?

    Kent Harrington thinks the intelligence community’s annual threat assessment should have delved deeper on the issue.
  9. grafton2_ SIMON MAINAAFP via Getty Images_water SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images
    0

    Waking Up to the World’s Water Crisis

    Quentin Grafton, et al. see three overarching priorities for the first global water conference in almost a half-century.

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification

To receive email updates regarding this {entity_type}, please enter your email below.

If you are not already registered, this will create a PS account for you. You should receive an activation email shortly.