Populism Talks

Traditional geopolitics measures power by military might and coercive force. By those standards, the European Union is structurally disadvantaged. But is that the wrong yardstick?

Host Selcuk Gultasli wraps up the 2026 ECPS Academy Summer School with Professor Markus Kotzur (University of Hamburg) and moderator Dr. Camille Nessel. They explore why Europe’s true strength lies not in military coercion, but in its unique setup as a "political community" capable of setting global standards and writing the rules of the international order.

Read the report: https://www.populismstudies.org/ecps-...

Since 1955, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has maintained near-unbroken control over Japanese politics, creating an illusion of permanent stability. In this episode, Professor Axel Berkofsky challenges the idea that Japan is immune to global political trends.

He joins Dr. Sébastien Goulard to discuss how escalating inflation and worries over national identity are introducing a highly protective, populist element into Japanese society. Discover why this domestic shift has Brussels on edge about the future of global trade agreements.

Read the Full Report: https://www.populismstudies.org/ecps-...

The "Indo-Pacific" is all over contemporary diplomatic speech, but it isn’t just a neutral label on a map. Connecting from Taipei, Dr. Giulio Pugliese (EUI / King's College London) joins host Selcuk Gultasli to strip away the jargon. 

He argues the Indo-Pacific is a carefully crafted strategic narrative—invented in Tokyo, not Washington—designed to push back against China's rise. Discover how this conceptual project is reshaping European foreign policy and tying Euro-Atlantic security directly to East Asia.

Read the Full Report: https://www.populismstudies.org/ecps-...

"Strategic autonomy" and "de-risking" have become the ultimate buzzwords in European politics, but what do they actually mean?

Host Selcuk Gultasli covers a key session from the ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 featuring National University of Singapore's Assoc. Prof. Reuben Wong. 

Bringing a fresh, external vantage point from Southeast Asia, Wong unpacks how the EU is caught in a geopolitical tug-of-war—navigating supply chain vulnerabilities with China while trying to assert its own policy independence from Washington.

Read the Full Report: https://www.populismstudies.org/ecps-...

The alliance between Europe and the United States has weathered countless trade wars and diplomatic disputes, but the current fracture is different. 

Host Selcuk Gultasli covers a pivotal lecture from the ECPS Academy Summer School 2026 featuring Professor Erik Jones and moderator Professor Elaine Fahey. They look past surface-level tariff arguments to unpack a deeper, structural shift: the erosion of the domestic political solidarity and institutional trust that held the post-war liberal order together.

Read the Full Report: https://www.populismstudies.org/ecps-...

Global trade is no longer just about open markets and economic efficiency—it’s an arena for geopolitical warfare. 

Host Selcuk Gultasli covers the opening lecture of the ECPS Academy Summer School 2026, featuring Professor Arlo Poletti and moderator Dr. Sonali Chowdhry. 

They unpack how the European Union is being forced to pivot from defending a liberal, rules-based trading system to using trade policy as a direct tool for national security, industrial strategy, and great-power competition.Read the full report: https://www.populismstudies.org/ecps-...

Interview by Selcuk Gultasli

With the historic presidency of Gustavo Petro coming to an end, Colombia has elected Abelardo "El Tigre" de la Espriella in the closest presidential race in its history. In this episode, Latin American politics expert Professor Michael Shifter challenges the simplistic narrative of regional ideological polarization. Instead, he reveals how public exhaustion with insecurity, organized crime, and institutional failure is fueling a powerful wave of "security populism" across the hemisphere. Tune in to explore why emotional campaigns are outpacing policy platforms, and why Colombia’s democratic institutions might be much more resilient than they look.Here is the revised version of our interview with Professor Michael Shifter, edited lightly to enhance clarity, readability, and overall flow for publication: https://www.populismstudies.org/prof-...

Interview by Selcuk Gultasli

Democratic backsliding doesn’t require a military coup—it can happen completely legally. Host Selcuk Gultasli sits down with University of Chicago Law Professor Aziz Huq to discuss how constitutional mechanics are being weaponized against democracy. They break down how the US Supreme Court has actively created the conditions for backsliding, why populists have built their own version of constitutionalism, and why AI is currently concentrating power rather than leveling the playing field.Here is the revised version of our interview with Professor Aziz Huq, edited lightly to enhance clarity, readability, and overall flow for publication: https://www.populismstudies.org/prof-...

Interview by Selcuk Gultasli

For decades, the European Union was built on supranational cooperation and human dignity. Today, those constitutional foundations are under heavy fire. In this episode, Spain’s former Minister of Justice, MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar, breaks down the dangerous shift toward externalizing asylum responsibilities to third-party countries. Moving past technical border talk, López Aguilar explains how mainstream conservative parties have broken the Brandmauer (cordon sanitaire) to appease radical-right populists, risking the very soul of the European project.Here is the revised version of our interview with MEP Juan Fernando López Aguilar, edited lightly to enhance clarity, readability, and overall flow for publication: https://www.populismstudies.org/mep-l...

Interview by Selcuk Gultasli

When countries clash over human rights treaties at the United Nations, the arguments run much deeper than specific policies. In this episode, international relations scholar Dr. Gino Pauselli joins us to explain how issues like migration and LGBTQ+ rights have become symbolic markers used by states to signal their civilizational boundaries. Discover why the modern illiberal backlash is highly coordinated transnationally, how visual state projects like border walls alter human rights practices on the ground, and what liberal institutions must do to rebuild a compelling moral vision for global governance.Here is the revised version of our interview with Assistant Professor Gino Pauselli, edited lightly to enhance clarity, readability, and overall flow for publication: https://www.populismstudies.org/asst-...