27 November, 2023
When did populism become a dirty word?
The opposing connotations some political words have in the United States, on the one hand, and in Europe and Latin America, on the other. Liberal and Populism....
Columns
5 April, 2023
Peru Remains Stable and Free, Against All Odds
After a recent visit to Peru, I'm more convinced than ever that my native homeland, an important Pacific Rim country of 34 million people, has become the extreme Left's number-one target in Latin America. The fall of Peru's Marxist president, Pedro Castillo, in December—after his failed...
28 November, 2022
In a post-Trump world, the GOP needs to go back to sound principles on free enterprise, small government, and legal immigration
the GOP needs to go back to sound principles on free enterprise, small government, and legal immigration...
1 August, 2022
The Dangerous Reason Behind Putin’s Aggression Against Ukraine
Among collectivist narratives, none is more powerful than nationalism, and among imperial claims, none is more devastating to peaceful coexistence than the idea that a neighboring country belongs to an imperialist predator, based on a foundational myth. Until the West understands this, Russian President Vladimir...
24 July, 2022
The return of Carlos Rangel
From time to time, looking at the depressing panorama of Latin America, I think of Carlos Rangel, one of the region's most admirable classical liberals of the second part of the 20th century. His books, more relevant than ever despite having been published nearly half...
24 July, 2022
El retorno de Carlos Rangel
De tanto en tanto, viendo el panorama deprimente de América Latina, pienso en Carlos Rangel, uno de los liberales de la región más admirables de la segunda parte del siglo XX, y encuentro razones para no desesperar. Sus libros, más vigentes que nunca a...
18 July, 2022
The Case of Jeanine Añez
If Jeanine Añez, the former president of Bolivia, were a woman of the left, she would be a “cause célèbre” by now. Because she is a Christian and a conservative (with some of whose ideas, I hasten to add, I do not agree), her recent ten-year...
11 July, 2022
Wind and Solar Will Have to Wait
Skyrocketing oil and gas prices are telling a more powerful story than global warming skeptics have been able to tell. And the story is that we will depend on carbon-emitting energy for much longer than most people (governments included) had thought. Current oil prices reflect...
22 May, 2021
Cuba’s immovable heroes
If Nelson Mandela had been Cuban, rather than South African, he never would have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize or have become a 20th century icon and statesman. Instead, he would have been a “plantado,” one of the political prisoners (the “immovable ones”) who...
15 May, 2021
Peru — between a rock and a hard place
The recent presidential elections in Peru have confirmed a pattern that has been in evidence for several election cycles. Peruvians have made it a habit of voting in the first round of the elections so as to place themselves, with regard to the second round,...
18 November, 2020
Peru’s cursed presidency
Becoming president of Peru is a highly risky proposition. In the last few years five presidents have gone to jail; one of them committed suicide in the presence of the law-enforcement officers sent to arrest him. Earlier this month, President Martín Vizcarra was impeached following accusations...
1 February, 2020
Mexico’s ‘Tropical Messiah’ Browbeats Critics and Bullies the Press
Populism’s distinctive feature is not the redistribution of wealth. It is the concentration of power outside liberal democratic institutions and the rule of law. The populist leader uses antielitist rhetoric to enhance his messianic appeal with the people and undermines checks and balances by concentrating...