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Ian Buruma

Ian Buruma

Writing for PS since 2001
222 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. Who Will Lead the Democratic World?
    buruma224_WPA PoolGettyImages_europe_summit WPA Pool/Getty Images

    Who Will Lead the Democratic World?

    Mar 5, 2025 Ian Buruma thinks the onus of defending our political freedoms will be on two countries that once tried to destroy them.

  2. Ian Buruma on Gaza, Trump, authoritarianism, and more
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    Ian Buruma on Gaza, Trump, authoritarianism, and more

    Feb 25, 2025 Ian Buruma says there is no chance US democracy will emerge from Donald Trump’s second administration unscathed, explains why the left is losing the culture war in the US and Europe, touts the enduring importance of the humanities, and more.

  3. Breaking US Democracy Beyond Repair
    buruma222_Anna MoneymakerGettyImages_donald_trump_cross Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    Breaking US Democracy Beyond Repair

    Feb 5, 2025 Ian Buruma warns that Donald Trump’s efforts to tear down America’s “civic religion” will be difficult to reverse.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

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  1. lachman3_Charly TriballeauGettyImages_us_economy_eggs Charly Triballeau/Getty Images
    3

    America Looks Like a Troubled Emerging-Market Economy

    Desmond Lachman lists the symptoms, from tariffs and massive public debt, to oligarchy and flagrant conflicts of interest.
  2. fofack29_eric1513Getty Images_dedollarization eric1513/Getty Images
    1

    Will Trump Destroy the Dollar’s Primacy?

    Within its first two months, President Donald Trump’s second administration has attacked US institutions, alienated trade partners and allies, decimated consumer and investor confidence, and sent the stock market plummeting. Can the dollar’s status as the world’s leading reserve currency – and the extraordinary advantages this affords the US economy – withstand the onslaught?

  3. moyo32_Anton PetrusGettyImages_ai_money Anton Petrus/Getty Images
    0

    Will AI Mean Higher Taxes?

    Dambisa Moyo warns business leaders that automation-driven efficiency gains may come with hidden long-term costs.
  4. gbrowne1_Thomas SamsonGettyImages_fossil_fuel_non_proliferation_treaty Thomas Samson/Getty Images
    0

    A Defining Moment for Energy Security and Economic Prosperity

    Gaston Browne points out that the energy transition is vital not only to protect the planet, but also to enhance resilience.
  5. norrlof10_Picture AllianceGettyImages_lng_terminal_baltic_sea Picture Alliance/Getty Images
    2

    How Much “Weaponization” Can the Global Economy Take?

    Carla Norrlöf worries that major powers’ understandable reliance on economic coercion will go too far.
  6. op_detter1_utah778Getty Images_balancesheet utah778/Getty Images
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    Fixing Public Finances Without a Chainsaw

    Dag Detter

    Governments are the most important wealth managers in their respective jurisdictions, but they rarely behave like it. To boost revenue and ensure economic stability, policymakers must modernize their accounting practices and establish public wealth funds.

     urges cash-strapped countries to adopt a commercial approach to management of government-owned assets.
  7. delong268_Drew AngererGetty Images_trump Drew Angerer/Getty Images
    1

    Rescuing America’s Economy from Trump

    J. Bradford DeLong thinks the US president needs a regent, similar to the role Howard Baker played under Ronald Reagan.
  8. bildt133_Tobias SchwarzGettyImages_rutte_vance Tobias Schwarz/Getty Images
    1

    The Transatlantic World Will Never Be the Same

    Carl Bildt urges Europeans to prepare for the worst from Donald Trump’s America, which is behaving like an adversary.
  9. goldberg34_Mario TamaGetty Images_USshippingcontainers Mario Tama/Getty Images
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    Making Sense of the Tariff Chaos

    Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg considers whether the zero-sum logic behind the new US policy will spread.

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