Most recent articles by Ian Buruma
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Israel's right-wingFlirting with anti-Semitism
Far-right politicians cite their support for Israel as proof that they are not anti-Semites. Yet the openly fascist members of Israel's government have more in common with Hungary's Viktor Orban than they do with diaspora Jews. Commentary by Ian Buruma
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Italy's victorious rightHide the swastikas!
Much has changed in the European post-fascist firmament since former SS officers, veterans of the collaborationist Vichy government and other dubious figures established the forerunners of today’s far-right parties. Women and young men, usually smartly turned out in tailor-made suits, now set the tone. Commentary by Ian Buruma
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Europe, Ukraine and refugeesCompassion, a sliding scale?
Ideally, those Europeans currently welcoming Ukrainian refugees would show the same sympathy to Syrians, Afghans and others fleeing war beyond the continent. But, argues Ian Buruma, human compassion is a rare enough commodity that we should be grateful whenever it appears
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Islamophobia and xenophobiaThe West’s racism problem
The mob in Chemnitz had a lot in common with the neo-Nazis, Ku Klux Klan followers and other extremists who caused mayhem a year ago in Charlottesville, Virginia, writes Ian Buruma
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Right-wing populism in Europe and the USAThose who cry wolf
In our populist age, right-wing ideologues manage to move in high circles, muting their overt racism and disguising their bigotry beneath a lot of smart patter. But they also benefit from the lofty disdain of the liberal elites, which validates their narrative of victimisation. Commentary by Ian Buruma
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Donald Trump′s AmericaU.S. immigration policy: Damn those cosmopolitans
Cosmopolitanism is clearly a dirty word to the Trump administration, which is increasingly aligning itself with nativist movements hostile to ethnic or religious minorities. In the process Trump and his advisors are walking on thin political ice, argues Ian Buruma in his essay
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Trump's IslamophobiaLighting the touch paper
By antagonising and humiliating the world′s Muslim population, the new US administration is playing into the hands of the terrorists. In his essay Ian Buruma examines the likely impact of ′a global war on Islam′ on the powder keg that is the Middle East and Africa
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Right-wing populism in the USATrump′s deplorables
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic US presidential nominee, recently described supporters of her opponent, Donald Trump, as a ″basket of deplorables″. It was neither a tactful nor an elegant phrase and she later apologised for her remark. But she was more right than wrong. By Ian Buruma
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France and the burkini banLawmakers beware!
Demand too much conformity of a population and you may end up with the exact opposite. Forcing people to adhere to a common identity, as in the case of the burkini ban, fosters a rebellious insistence on difference. By Ian Buruma
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Right-wing populism in Europe and the USAThe politics of Islamophobia
When people panic, they can become hysterical and hysteria often leads to mass violence. When politicians convince people that they are in a life-or-death battle – that survival is a matter of "us or them" – anything becomes possible. An essay by Ian Buruma
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The EU's asylum and migration policyNecessary migrants
The EU is still without a coherent policy on migration. Yet economic migration from non-EU countries, under carefully managed conditions, is both legitimate and imperative. Not because such migrants deserve Europeans′ sympathy, but because Europe needs them. By Ian Buruma
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Democracy and freedom of speechCharlie and Theo
In the wake of the Paris attacks, many people were quick to view the killings as a direct attack on democracy and to claim that freedom of speech is absolute. In this essay, Ian Buruma explores the principles of free speech and tolerance