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Chile’s President-elect Kast and the Populism to Fascism Pipeline

In late 2025, Chile elected right-wing candidate Jose Antonio Kast as their next president. Mr. Kast has a history of glorifying Chile’s former dictator, Augusto Pinochet, and his attitude towards Pinochet’s legacy suggests a dictatorial vision for Chile’s political future. Looking deeper into Chilean history, this attitude becomes more troubling, as Pinochet’s dictatorship has strong ties to former Nazis who fled to South America post-World War II, including Mr. Kast’s father. Mr. Kast’s rhetoric illustrates how right-wing nationalism and appealing to violent law-and-order regimes becomes fascism apologism and can set off the potential return of authoritarianism to Chile.

Posted On : Published By : Atticus Fewson
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Hungary’s Last Hope? Orban’s Challenger in the 2026 Parliamentary Election

The upcoming 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election provides a rare chance for change within the country’s illiberal political context: The Respect and Freedom Party Tisza, under the leadership of Peter Magyar, is challenging the longstanding Fidesz regime led by Hungary’s prime minister of 16 years, Viktor Orban. During Mr. Orban’s tenure, Hungary’s democratic standing has waned significantly, and Mr. Magyar appears to be the strongest chance to reverse this trend. While the opportunity that the 2026 elections present is significant and not to be ignored, it is important to recognize that the challenges facing Hungary’s democracy will not disappear after this election, as the damage done to Hungary’s democracy will take significant and sustained effort to repair.

Posted On : Published By : Atticus Fewson
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Tunisia’s Autocratic Turn: A Putin-like Case of Economics and Authoritarianism

Tunisia, a nation heralded as the one true success story of the 2011 Arab Spring movement that saw pro-democracy protests erupt across the Middle East, has slid back to autocracy in recent years under President Kais Saied. Despite the sudden end of democratic freedoms, this transition has not been met with universal opposition. The public disaffiliation with democracy in Tunisia shows the importance of economic success in maintaining democratic values, and, along with other instances of democratic backsliding, can be studied to understand how democracy can persist despite economic shortcomings.

Posted On : Published By : Atticus Fewson