Ian Buruma

Author

Ian Buruma is professor of human rights at Bard College. His latest book is "The Churchill Complex."

Latest

House Republican Leadership Speak To The Media

Bloomberg Opinion

Why Fringe Figures Are Holding Democracies Hostage

Mainstream political parties once acted as sponges, absorbing extremists and rendering them harmless. No longer.

January 14, 2023

January 14, 2023

OpinionIan Buruma

Why Fringe Figures Are Holding Democracies Hostage

Mainstream political parties once acted as sponges, absorbing extremists and rendering them harmless. No longer.

House Republican Leadership Speak To The Media

December 14, 2022

December 14, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Was Trump or Brexit the Bigger Mistake? The Answer Is Clear

As Americans and Britons are discovering, nations can recover from bad elections far more easily than from bad referendums.

DNC Welcomes Donald Trump To 2024 GOP Primary With Mobile Billboard Around Mar-A-Lago

November 12, 2022

November 12, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Iran Can’t Put a Lid on Protests Forever

Even if the clerics temporarily stifle the demands of a new generation of Iranians with violence and terror, this can only be a recipe for many more revolts to come.

TOPSHOT-TURKEY-IRAN-WOMEN-RIGHTS-PROTEST

October 13, 2022

October 13, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Europe’s Right-Wing Is Adopting the Left’s Look

From Italy to the UK, the fact that conservative parties are attracting more women and minorities to their top ranks should be a warning to their rivals.

Conservative Party Conference - Day Three

September 15, 2022

September 15, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Punishing Russians Won’t End the Ukraine War

Like strategic bombing in World War II, efforts to turn citizens against their leaders tend to backfire.

RUSSIA-DEFENCE-NAVY-POLITICS-HOLIDAY

August 7, 2022

August 7, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Japan Needs to Look at Links Between Church and State

After Shinzo Abe’s assassination, the complicated ties between religion and politics across East Asia deserve greater scrutiny.

Funeral of Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

July 6, 2022

July 6, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Can China Prosper Without Freedom? Maybe Not

While the idea that democracy is the only route to riches may have been debunked, there are still good reasons to doubt that citizens can thrive under a more autocratic model.

HK Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of Handover To China

May 28, 2022

May 28, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Putin’s Unconditional Surrender Should Not Be the Goal

Ukraine and its allies are not refighting World War II. Insisting on Russia’s total defeat is a fine negotiating position but not a realistic aim.

UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT

May 5, 2022

May 5, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Why Japan and Germany Are Ready to Fight Again

It’s not just the Ukraine war. Unlike in the past, less worrisome figures are now driving the push for a stronger defense — and for sounder reasons.

Naval Fleet Review Exercises In Japan

April 2, 2022

April 2, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Why Putin Unites Extremists on Left and Right

The Russian autocrat is adept at playing on the deep self-pity and sense of victimhood that permeates the far reaches of the political spectrum.

TOPSHOT-RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-CRIMEA-ANNEXATION-ANNIVERSARY

March 11, 2022

March 11, 2022

OpinionIan Buruma

Why the West Must Continue to Arm Ukraine

As Europe learned in World War II, resistance movements don’t always win wars but they are crucial to winning the peace.

UKRAINE-USA-RUSSIA-CRISIS-DEFENCE